More Chances To See Hotel Ducks in Roanoke

 I had read and told you about the Peabody Hotel Ducks in Memphis, Tennessee, in the south of North America, in the USA. I searched online and found the group have another hotel, a Peabody hotel, in Roanoke which is in Virginia. 

I lived in the USA in Rockville, Maryland, in the north of Washington DC. At weekends, we would leave early on a Friday late afternoon or evening and head down the coast to warmer weather to see another city or attraction in the USA. 

The Roanake's Peabody hotel is only three hours away from Washitnton DC, whereas the Memphis hotel is about four hours away. Travelling is easy in the USA. 

Driving There

We used to love driving along the Blue Ridge Parkway, a mountain top route through the forest, traffic-free and way above the motrowary along the coastline. The motorway was quicker but you could always turn downhill if you needed toilets and refreshments.

So if you are in a big city in the east coast as a resident, business person, or holidaymaker, think about going south to see the ducks. The five mallard ducks marching in to the fountain, then out again later, is a great entertainment for both children and adults. The ducks are very opular so to get a good view go early to either get a seat or stand along the duck route as they march in at 11 am, or beside the fountain, or on the interior balcony above if you are in a bedroom.

It's free for visitors, and the hotel has lots of bars and restaurants.

What else is there to see and photograph in Roanoke. Its famous feature is the hilltop star.  The city is now known as the star of the south.

Useful websites

Wikipedi on Roanoke

Wikibvoyage

https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Roanoke

Tripadvisor

The hotel group websites

https://www.peabodyhotelsandresorts.com/gallery

My article on the other Peadbody Hotel with ducks in Mephis, Tennessee (with music attractions, Elvis assocations).

Please share links to your favourite posts.

Elvis's Graceland and Was He Jewish And Where You See The Six Pointed Star

When I lived in the USA I was astonished and impressed by the number of museums which had relics of Elvis. you did not need to go to the place where he lived and died, Graceland, to see things related to him, cars, clothes, guitars. When I went to a stand at the World Travel Market in London, which used to be open to the public, at least on some days, then when it got busier, reduced to trade only,  I met a toruist board rep who alerted me to the idea that Elvis might have a Jewish ancestor. Elvis had a star of David, magen David in Hebrew, on the left of his mother's gravestone, and was the Sabbath goy, the non Jewish person who turns on the light, most importantly the cooer, on the Sabbath when Jews, and their employed live-in servants, are supposed to be resting. 

However, I finally found the details and debate in an article on the Who Do You Think You Are magazine, which you can subscribe to and read and buy back issues online. This article seems to be free online, perhaps as a come on - very effective. It gives details of how much time and effort can go into research and what to look for.

One of the most interesting additional facts for me was how widespread the six pointed star is.  Regonized and used by many religions in additional to Judaism, others before, after, and alongside, or far away. 

I first saw a star of David on a non-Jewish building in India. 

Where can you see the six pointed star?

1 Israel and worldwide: In blue on the flag of Israel.

2 USA Engraved on the left of the gravestone of Elvis Presley's mother. On Synagogues.

3 India On a big building in Mumbia (formerly Bombay)

4 Singapore On the front of the synagogues and on buildings built by Jews in previous centuries.

Where can you see Elvis sites?

1 Birthplace Tupelo and Elvis Museum, Tupelo, Mississippi, USA

Photo by Ron Cogswell, in Wikipedia, article on Elvis
Tupelo, Mississippi, USA. Birthplace museum.

2 Graceland, USA

3 Hollwood Walk of Fame, Los Angeles, California, USA

Elvis Presley Burial site, Graceland, USA.

https://www.facebook.com/EPNashvilleFans/posts/gladys-presleys-original-headstone-is-now-displayed-at-graceland-in-the-mediatio/1933872546675532/

Elvis's parents. On the left is his mother Grace Love, later Presley.

Hard Rock Cafe, Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia, USA

Description	English: Hard Rock Cafe, Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia
Date	2 December 2013, 20:56:40
Source	Own work
Author	Michael Rivera

Useful Websites

https://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com/2015/12/elvis-enthusiasts-where-to-see-elvis.html?m=0

 Was Elvis Presley Jewish?: https://c02.purpledshub.com/uploads/sites/52/2022/08/GettyImages-961946124-1788d1d.jpeg

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/top-places-elvis-presley-fans

Elvis Sites - Here are my favourites:
Memphis, Tennessee, USA
Sun studio (museum, hourly tours led by a musician, photo spots, food).
Graceland and Gravesite in Graceland.

Elvis Sites Websites
http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2013/aug/17/top-10-elvis-presley-memphis-attractions
graceland.com
http://travelblog.viator.com/11-sights-and-tours-perfect-for-the-elvis-fan/
http://www.elvis-history-blog.com/elvis-sites.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Hawaii
His pink Cadillac is in Graceland. Read about his cars and Australia connections here:
http://www.elvis.com.au/presley/elvis_presleys_1955_pink_cadillac.shtml

I just discovered a new wiki, wikitree

https://www.wikitree.com/genealogy/PRESLEY

Please share links to your favourite posts 

See Barbie Dolls dressed as Singapore Airlines Girls, Elvis, British Royals and Buy a Book on Flushable Fashion

 

Angela Lansbury with Jian Yang, collector of Barbie dolls and doll clothes designer and author of the book Flushable Fashion. Selfie photo by Angela Lansbury. CLEO called him one of Singapore's most eligible bachelors. 

Barbie dolls from the exhibition in Ion, wearing the outfits of Singapore Airlines.

Three thoughts come to mind when you view this Barbie doll collection exhibition. (Fabulous, fabulous, fabulous!) More than 600 dolls in clothes ranging from beachwear to wedding dresses. You can marvel at the lovely ladies, film stars, royals, William and Kate, inspiring people such as an astronaut, and the boy dolls, Elvis, business or sporty.

Three Thoughts On Barbie Dolls Inspiration

1 Barbie dolls promote slim women (who still have pronounced waists and curves).

2 Barbie dolls have colourful clothes and matching accessories and props.

3 The latest trend is disposable or 'flushable fashion' clothes. 

Flushable Clothes

Flushable fashion clothes - are the opposite of classic, long-lasting clothes. But fashion is all about following fashion.

Yes, just a moment of instant, excitement at the novelty.  Before you move onto the next new idea. 

Jian Yang's Book

On the other hand, they provide a second use for paper and paper bags. No more clutter of last year's out-of-date, unwanted items. 

The dolls were all collected by Jian Yang. You can see the boy dolls whose clothes are based on various stages in his life.

You can buy his book Flushable Fashion, showing his latest idea - how dolls clothes were made in as little as 15 minutes from paper such as the paper shopping bags from shops in the ION indoor shopping mall.

More photos being added shortly

The exhibition started in September and runs until Friday 21st October. Check the House of Dreams and ION websites for updates. 

 Useful Websites

ION & The Exhibition

https://www.ionorchard.com/event/house-of-dreams

JIAN YANG & HIS BOOK

https://www.instagram.com/jianyang1979/?hl=en

https://www.amazon.com/Flushable-Fashion-Jian-Yang/dp/9814841978

BARBIE

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-11278267/Samantha-Cristoforetti-appears-ISS-Barbie-doll-inspire-girls-STEM-careers.html

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11259419/Barbie-creators-daughter-fights-dads-legacy-toy-giant-Mattel-cuts-out.html#reader-comments

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbiehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbie

ANGELA

DressofthedayAngela.blogspot.com - fun fashion from Angela Lansbury. With lots of rescued, recycled, revamped, vintage clothes.

Please share links to your favourite posts.

More than 600 Barbie dolls Exhibited in Ion: Elvis, Star Wars, British Royals & Flushable Fashion In a Barbie Book To Buy

The dolls were all  collected by Jian Yang. You can buy his book Flushable Fashion, showing how dolls clothes were made from paper such as the paper shopping bags from shops in the ION indoor shopping mall.

See later post for updates and more photos.

 Useful Websites

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-11278267/Samantha-Cristoforetti-appears-ISS-Barbie-doll-inspire-girls-STEM-careers.html

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11259419/Barbie-creators-daughter-fights-dads-legacy-toy-giant-Mattel-cuts-out.html#reader-comments

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbiehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbie

Elvis's Memphis Mansion Museum in Denmark

 

For Elvis fans in Europe. Drive to Denmark. You can fly from the UK to Denmark on Ryanair.

At the destination, you can visit the museum, which has one of his cars, then see a replica of Elvis's birthplace. Sit in the diner and eat an Elvis sandwich which contains bacon, (Danish bacon?), peanut butter, and banana. Buy Elvis souvenirs in the shop.

The shop is open 10 am until 6 pm.

Where next?

When I was in the USA, most major museums I visited seemed to have a souvenir of Elvis on display. A car. A disc. A guitar. A costume. A photo of a visit.

The Netherlands

Elvis in the Amsterdam Madame Tussauds.

USA

Graceland, USA.

Useful Websites

https://www.memphismansion.com/

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/escape/article-10274413/Honouring-Elvis-Presley-Memphis-Mansion-copycat-Graceland-Denmark.html

https://www.facebook.com/memphismansionranders

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memphis_Mansion

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elvis_Presley

...

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/top-places-elvis-presley-fans

https://theculturetrip.com/north-america/usa/articles/the-most-impressive-elvis-shrines-in-the-united-states/

About the Author of this blog, Author Angela Lansbury

BIOGRAPHY

Angela Lansbury B A Hons ACG ALB PM5 EH5 DL5 VC5 
The Author of several books, including: Etiquette For Every Occasion. Wedding Speeches & Toasts. How to be the Best Man. Quick Quotations. Who Said What When.

Blogs travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

translateforfun.blogspot.com

Braddell Heights Advanced Toastmasters Speakers Club Vice President Public Relations (VPPR), Previous President

Join BHA 1st Wednesday 7pm and 3rd Saturday 2 pm Singapore time 

Vice President Public Relations (VP PR) of Tampines Changkat Advanced;

Secretary of weekly online Singapore International Dynamic Toastmasters Speakers’ Club;

Member and past president of Harrovians toastmasters club, UK; Past member of HOD Toastmasters, London. Past member in Singapore of: Toastmasters Club of Singapore (TCS); Tiarel; and Senja Cashew.

More details from Toastmasters International find a club.

Regular attendee at annual Swanwick Writers’ School, England.

Regular attendee at annual Writers’ Holiday, Wales.

Contributor to poetry readings, and after tea courses on: Speaking On Radio To Promote Books; and Plots And Character.

Winner of many club and area speaking contests in the UK and Singapore.

Language advisor to Empire Toastmasters club in Indonesia.

Language and speech workshops in Singapore.

Speaker on radio and TV in England, Scotland, the USA, and Australia.

Compiler of a school course on public speaking for teachers to prepare pupils for school open days with attending ceremonies before government ministers, Singapore.

Former member of Harrow Writers’ Circle, London, and two writing groups in Singapore.

Angela is on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter. She would be delighted to link up with new friends.

I  also have a blog on comic poems.

 Please share links to your favourite posts. 

MUSIC MUSEUMS & MUSICIANS: from Amy Winehouse and the Albert Hall to Elvis, to Country, Classical, Handel and Pucchini

 Thomas R Machnitzki (thomas@machnitzki.com) - Own work

Graceland covered with snow. Memphis, Tennessee.

Music themed gate showing guitarist and musical notes. It is often worth going to a home to photograph it, even if you don't have the time and money to visit, or the location is closed. You might be impressed by the location, read and photograph a plaque outside about the famous person who lived there, or talk to other tourists about your mutual hero, or other places to visit in the vicinity connected with the famous person.

If you do get inside, however much you know about your favourite famous person, there is always more to learn.


The Jungle Room, Graceland, USA. Photo from Wik'pedia.

Here's a list of music museums for you and your family to visit. I have made it alphabetical and by country ro help you compile a bucket list for your travels.

The list is compiled by categories, including composers, singers, country, auditoriums and statues of singers and musicians. Some singers and songs are associated with landmarks (Blue skies over the white cliffs of Dover), or statues or graves or monuments of people best known as film stars or other categories. For example, Marilyn Monroe was known for much else besides singing Happy Birthday to President Kennedy in New York, and may be featured in waxworks museums, at Niagara and the Hollywood Heritage Museum.

The long, obscure word auditorium comes from the root words for ear and listening. Aural - related to the ear. (Oral is speaking as in oratory.) Audible means can be heard.

Statue of Stephen Foster removed because of objections to the banjo playing slave. Photo from Wikipedia. What a pity. I thought the happy banjo player was charming and the best part of the statue.

MUSIC CATEGORIES
1 Country and Western
2 Blues
3 Opera
4 Classical music
5 Folk
6 National
7 Ethnic

ETHNIC
National anthem and patriotic and classic composers.
National anthem lyricists.
Jewish
Amy Winehouse, Gershwin, Marilyn Monroe (converted for husband playwright Miller). See videos on Youtube of: Amy Winehouse and Yiddish songs such as Roumania.

Greece
Composer of the national anthem on a Greek island.



Sydney Opera House, Australia

AUSTRALIA
Sydney Opera House

FRANCE
Opera House, Paris

ITALY
Venona, open air opera
La Scala Opera House
Torre Del Lago, home of Puccini, statue outside.

Torre Del Lago, Italy, former home of Puccini, now a museum.

POLAND
Huge Chopin statue, landmark shown on tours of Warsaw.
Chopin House museum.

ROMANIA
See Youtube video of Yiddish drinking song Roumania by Aaron Lebedeff.

SWITZERLAND
Statue of Freddie Mercury in Montreux, and Museum devoted to him and his band, Queen.

Bernd Brägelmann - Bernd Brägelmann

Freddie Mercury Statue in Montreux, Switzerland. 

Amy Winehouse waxwork in Madame Tussaud's, London, England.

UK
Amy Winehouse in Madame Tussauds, Baker Street, London.
Amy Winehouse statue and trail and Jewish museum in Camden, London.
Handel museum in London.
Hendrix museum beside Handel Museum in London.
Handel's organ in Whitchurch Lane, Edgware, NW London, England.
Elgar Museum.

Handel and Hendrix museums on the upper floors of these two adjacent houses in London.

USA
Elvis, Graceland. Cars and guitars in many museums in the USA.
Hollywood Heritage Museum, Los Angeles.
Nashville (country music).
Dollywood.
Opryland.

FESTIVALS & MUSIC VENUES

UK
Royal Opera House Covent Garden
Sadlers Well
Festival Hall, South Bank Centre, London, England
Royal Albert Hall
Elgar Birthplace Museum

Elgar Birthplace Museum.

Elgar composed the music for Land of Hope and Glory which is played at Last night of the proms, in the Albert Hall in London, England.

EVENTS
New Year's Day concert broadcast from Vienna, Austria, on TV and radio in the UK.

Useful Websites
https://www.facebook.com/ScottishOpera
https://www.viennaconcerts.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giacomo_Puccini
https://handelhendrix.org/
https://www.dollywood.com/
Roumania Music only:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0agi_Gj2IEc

About the Author
Angela Lansbury is a travel writer and photographer, author and speaker, trainer specialising in public speaking and business English..

Tune In To Local Radio When Travelling - Lessons Learned from country songs

Stephen Foster Monument, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. Sculptor: Giuseppe Moretti (1857—1935).

When you go to another country or another county on the UK, tune into the local radio station as you drive along that dull motorway. Why?
1 It will keep you awake so you avoid accidents; you can sleep at night.
2 It will be an entertainment on a dull motorway.
3 It will be a social education.
4 You will be up with the local and worldwide news, well-informed, in touch with local people, which endears you to them and helps you develop rapport and sympathy and enjoy their company.
5 You have a subject of conversation when you meet people at the other end.
6 You will be energised.
7 You will be calmed.
8 You will be optimistic.
9 You will not be wasting time driving.
10 You don't have to talk to entertain the passengers and drivers.



UK
 In the UK you can tune your car radio to radio 3 for classic music and 4 for talks. if your car or coach is stuck you can keep everybody amused with rounds of classic songs. At school and on holiday I would hear English, Irish, Scottish and Welsh classics such as: When Irish eyes are smiling; In Dublin's fair city, where the girls are so pretty ...(Molly Malone); I lost my darling Clementine. Bring back my bonny to me; A Gordon For me; You take the high road and I'll take the low road and I'll be in Scotland before thee; Men of Harlech. Old Lang Syne.

You can do a Beatles tour in London or Liverpool. the Beatles music and songs and stories are everywhere.


USA
When I went to live in the USA music was even more strongly promoted everywhere. I always feel very stirred and emotional when I hear: My (or mine) eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the lord ...

My mind automatically fills in the next line
They are treading out the vineyards where the grapes of wrath are stored ....

Here are some of my experiences when travelling.

I found relics of Elvis in many cities, cars and guitars, not only in Graceland.

In Opryland where I went to write about the hotel and the museums the staff had tuned the bedroom radio to play country music when I opened the door of the hotel bedroom.

Dolly Parton. Jim Reeves. Garth Brooks. The Dixie Chicks.

That's why I hang my hat in Tennessee.

There is a house in New Orleans

Chicago, Chicago.

New York, New York. My kind of town.

Shuffle off to Buffalo.

I get my kicks on route 66.

AROUND THE USA
Diving through the USA I heard a lot of country music. I picked up a lot of Americanisms by listening to talk shows and songs.

I learned to love country and western songs for their comments on life, stories, and sometimes smart twist ending.

Everybody who speaks English is likely to have heard the traditional songs from George and Ira Gershwin, and all the musicals such as Oklahoma, Elvis classics - Bob Dylan's Blowing in the Wind, Bridge over troubled water, the Everly Brothers, plus more modern classics such as Cabaret, and Hallelujah.

When I visited the Stephen Forster Memorial Museum I was amazed by the number of American songs I had learned as a child in the UK. For example:
My Old Kentucky Home
Oh Susanna.

Country Music
Here are some of my favourite country and western songs:
Country Roads
Coal Miner's Daughter

Some Favourite US songs
I want to be in America (West Side Story)

CANADA
Museum in the National Music Centre,
Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Music_Centre

Some places to visit in the USA

MUSIC INFORMATION
Pittsburgh
Stephen Forster Memorial and Museum.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Foster
https://www.godtube.com/news/10-great-country-songs-that-tell-a-story.html
https://songsear.ch/song/Gladys-Knight-The-Pips/It-Should-Have-Been-Me/164397
https://www.metrolyrics.com/why-didnt-i-think-of-that-lyrics-doug-stone.html
https://songsear.ch/song/Garth-Brooks/Unanswered-Prayers/245643
https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/johnnyhorton/whenitsspringtimeinalaskaitsfortybelow.html
https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2015/07/12-songs-with-twist-endings.
Fifty songs - and more like 100 twist endings
https://www.ilxor.com/ILX/ThreadSelectedControllerServlet?boardid=41&threadid=81169

https://www.weddingwire.com/wedding-ideas/proposal-songs

https://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com/2019/03/musicians-statues-and-murals-more.html

TRAVEL INFORMATION
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opryland_USA
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Country_Music_Hall_of_Fame_and_Museum
visitbritain.com
visittheusa.co.uk

About The Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. I have many more posts on statues of musicians and houses and trails, and songs, such as Amy Winehouse, The Beatles, Handel and Jimi Hendrix. Please bookmark and share links to your favourite posts.

Music Museums, Murals And Statues To Visit Worldwide:Where to learn about Instruments, Automata, Singers , Composers

I am an enthusiastic collector of musical instruments to play on stage as a comic speaker and entertainer. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

I was watching a YouTube video of a marble music machine and went off to do some research on the Swedish Wintergatan band. The creator is part of a four-person music ensemble. He was inspired by seeing automata at a museum - many clock and musical instrument museums combine clocks and automata and musical instruments. If you are interested in any of these three when you visit a museum you are likely to come across and will be interested in the others.


Wintergatan band, of Sweden with one of their music making contraptions. Photo from Wikipedia.

I traced back to a music museum in the Netherlands and then looked at Wikipedia's entire list. The place with the largest number to visit is the USA.

In addition to Collections of guitars, country music, classical musicians, pop singers, country and western music singers, jazz, blues and folk music are also featured.

Favourite Music Museums
The places I have already seen and enjoyed and remember well are music instruments museums such as the one in London, UK.  Museums honouring composers in Germany, and Italy, the composers. I liked learning about several singers in the USA (lots of Elvis museums) as well as Dolly Parton.  Romania introduced me to Enescu. In Australia I was attracted by the huge statue of a guitar. In Austria I visited the graves of famous classical musicians in Vienna cemetery.

From the extremely long list, I have selected those I have visited, those of wide interest, and those I would like to visit.

Online Searching
You might also like to check out a style of music such as Country Music, blues or jazz. You may find many more which you love or hate, such as Portuguese fado, and Latin American tango.

Musicians Hall of Fame, Nashville, USA.

Halls Of Fame
Halls of Fame are another source. Or search for your favourite singers. For the writers of music, the word is composers. For the writers of the words, try librettist for classical music, lyricist, or simply songwriter.

Travellers' Souvenirs
In Romania I searched everywhere for Romanian music. the Enesco museum was closed when I first visited it. Eventually I found a recording of the national anthem and another tune on tiny wind up music boxes on sale at tourist sites.

On the longhaul flights of Singapore Airlines between London, UK, and Singapore, I like to listen to country and western singers, film scores, videos of performances (I saw Amy Winehouse for the first time on an airline).

You can also follow ethnic and religious music such as:
Arabic music,
Jewish musicians such as modern Amy Winehouse or classical Mendelssohn who wrote the Wedding March used at many weddings,
Christian hymn writers and gospel music (methodist Wesley has a museum in London, UK, more Methodists and Wesleys in the USA ).

ARGENTINA
Beatles Museum (Museo Beatle)
Tango Museum

ARMENIA
Charles Aznavour Museum

AUSTRALIA
Australian Country Music Hall of Fame, Tamworth.
You see the huge guitar

BELGIUM
Mr Sax's House.
Saxophones in street.
photo by Ymnes in Wikipedia.


CANADA
Elvis at Niagara.

CZECH REPUBLIC
Lennon wall in Prague.
Jewish trail includes cemetery.

FRANCE
Chopin's Piano is in the Museum of Music, part of the Philharmonic museum in Paris which displays musical instruments and holds exhibitions.:
https://philharmoniedeparis.fr/en/musee-de-la-musique

GERMANY
Fanny and Felix Mendelssohn Museum, Hamburg.

Fanny and Felix Museum, Hamburg, Germany. Photo from Wikipedia by author Ymnes.

Indonesia
In Indonesia you might use the word gamelan which means the music, repertoire, the orchestra or the instruments of the orchestra. Dangdut is a type of music in Jakarta, originally classical but now gone pop - plative and tuneful and rhythmic love songs. We have an album called Nostalgia Dangdut, very tuneful music.

ISRAEL
Amy Winehouse and others in a mural.

ITALY
Opera season in Verona.
Puccini House.

JAPAN
Lennon.

MALAYSIA

NETHERLANDS

POLAND
Chopin statue in Warsaw and Chopin in several museums in Poland and other countries.

ROMANIA

Rhapsody Romaine music box. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.


George Enescu. Photo from Wikipedia. Public domain.
Enescu house. (George Enescu, 1881-1955, composer, conductor, pianist, violinist.)

RUSSIA

SPAIN

UK
Amy Winehouse statue and trail, and Jewish museum, Camden, N W London, England.
Handel and Hendrix museums, central London, England.
Wesley statue in Marylebone and museum in London, England.
Elgar museum.
Beatles Museum, statues, trail, Liverpool.
Handel statue in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

USA
Al Jolson statue in cemetery.
Elvis, Graceland and many more.


Graceland. Memphis, Tennessee. Photo by Joseph Novak, Flickr, Wikipedia.

Stephen Foster - known as the father of American music, composed many of your favourite classic songs including Oh Susana and Beautiful Dreamer.

Composers and songwriters include: prolific Dolly Parton who created Dollywood and wrote Love is like a Butterfly and many more), and Stephen Foster.
Featured singers include:  Elvis
Graceland, Memphis, Tennessee.
Opryland, Nashville, Tennessee.
Murals include Whitney Houston.
https://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g58704-d531960-i172136913-Jimi_Hendrix_Grave_Site-Renton_Washington.html
Many tour companies specialise in music tours.

USEFUL WEBSITES
Post constantly updated. Come back later for more.
wiki
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wintergatan (The Marble Music Machine) Sweden.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_music_museums
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fanny_%26_Felix_Mendelssohn_Museum hamburg, Germany.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Whitney_Houston_Memorial_Mural.JPG USA.
https://www.rockhall.com/ (Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/h/roubiliacs-handel/ (Victoria and Albert Museum Handel statue.)
Travel Information

Travel Tips

travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

australia.com

visitbritain.com

visitbritain.shop.com

visitbritain.org

visittheusa.co.uk

visitsingapore.com

Singapore Airlines: 

singaporeair.com

Author

Angela Lansbury, BA Hons, ACG, ALB. Travel writer and photographer, author, speaker, trainer specialising in the English language, etiquette and communication.

I have several more posts on singers and composers and music.
See next post and other posts on Amy Winehouse.

Why Should I Go To The Harley-Davidson Museum, Where, What Events?

Harley Davidson Museum, USA. Wiki.

The museum opened in 2008 and if you haven't been there yet you should.

Problem
Why should I go to the Harley-Davidson Museum, if I don't own one?
Learn about the history of Harley-Davidson and America.

I'm more interested in music.
There's a picture of Elvis on a Harley-Davidson.

Isn't the name Harley-Davidson magical?

From the museum you learn so much. They supplied the army during the WWI, which helped their turnover. By 1920 Harley-Davidson was the biggest motorcycle manufacturer in the world.

Where is it?

Answer
It's 90 miles north of the city of Chicago, in the state of Wisconsin). See below.

Map from Wikitravel.

When can I go there for a special event?
Annual Events for
Armed Forces Day Celebration May;
Bike Night Thursday nights May-September;
Custom bike show on Labor Day Weekend;
Veterans Day Appreciation, November.

Personalised paint jobs on the bike started in the Depression when the company wanted something to add appeal to sell bikes. That started the tradition of customising Harley Davidson Bikes.

Admission fee, about $18 - check website for latest prices, and prices during exhibitions. Reductions for seniors, students, children and military with ID.

Don't want to pay the time nor the admission fee? Go to the shop; then dine at the Motor Bar and Restaurant. Alternatively, the Cafe Racer.

You can also do a Harley-Davidson factory tour.

What Else To See And Do In Wisconsin?
Milwaukee Art Museum is amazing inside and out. Outside it has bird's wings which open and shut several times a day according to weather.

Two breweries and one distillery offer tours, so you can get a drink, usually free, if you are not driving.

Wisconsin speciality foods include a rich, yellow custard made with egg yolk and cream.

Wisconsin is called the City of Festivals and has the largest music festival in the world.

Motorcycle Themes Around America And Worldwide

Where else can you go connected with motorcycles?


A Harley-Davidson is displayed at the Motorcycle Hall Of Fame Museum, Pickering, Ohio, USA.

Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum, USA. Wikipedia.

 England has several motorbike museums. I visited the one near the New Forest, south of London, 

Harley-Davidson Theme cafe, Las Vegas strip, USA. Wikipedia.

If you can't get to any of these, you can buy online from the Harley-Davidson museum. Their shop stocks:

Baseball hats, biker caps, boot straps, leather jackets, boot straps, vests and more. 

Address and tel:
Harley-Davidson Museum
400 West Canal Street
Milwaukee
Wisconsin 53201
USA
Tel:1-877-HD-MUSEUM or
1-877-436-8738

USA
Virgin Airlines (wonderful airport lounge New York and airline socks in jolly red);
www.virginatlantic.com

Harley Davidson Museum, Milwaukee, WI, USA
www.h-dmuseum.com
The Harley-Davidson Museum contains a shop and two eating areas, one of which is open to the outside so you and stop for food or drink even if not visiting the museum.
If you buy a new Harley-Davidson you get a year's free membership of the Harley-Davidson  group with offers on insurance and other benefits.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker

MUSIC! The Carnival March, Comic Operetta, Festivals, and all kinds of Music, Music!

Problem
What kind of music festival can I go to? Are you looking for a birthday or holiday event for a specific date, or just entertainment?

Answers

BY TYPE OF MUSIC

Tribute Acts

Obama Greek restaurant. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Carnival Parades

Christmas Carols
Events at churches in London and worldwide. Midnight Mass.

Classical
Lucerne Congress and Culture Centre, Lucerne, Switzerland, August 10 - September 8, 2018


.(Provisional dates. Check with booking agency.)

Comic Operetta

Grimsdyke Hotel Restaurant.

You can also stay in the hotel in a suite.

Country & Western
USA
Singapore has had a Country Music station on Saturday afternoons. It keeps disappearing I presume because of diminishing interest or people in charge wanting a change, then is brought back by popular demand.

Hymns and Sacred Music

Jazz

Opera
Verona. Outdoors in ancient arena. (Take warm wraps for shoulders and legs. The daytime is warm but nights even in high summer can be very chilly.)

Pop
Glastonbury is not taking place in 2018. The field and the organisers are having a Sabbatical.

Rock

MUSIC BY COUNTRY

Germany
Festivals and parades in Cologne and Mainz. Hear the traditional Mainz festival march on YouTUbe.

Italy
Verona - outdoor concerts in summer

Milan
Book online at La Scala opera house, Milan. We booked cheaper seats in a box at the top and side still very expensive, in my view. If you are a family and have the whole box, you can take turns sitting at the front and looking over. I was very disappointed. In the first half most of the time the singers were on one side of the stage below.

We had cheaper seats sitting at the back and we saw nothing. Why? Apparently boxes were designed like that so patrons could be behind curtains and secluded for a evening out with who knows who.

In the interval we complained. I would have wanted my money back. The box office said we should have told them earlier that we could not see. They moved us and put us down in the more expensive stall seats, in a back row, for the second half, which was much better.

Other music centres include Cannara.

I visited the house of the composer Puccini. A statue of him shows him smoking. He died of cancer.

Umbria, Italy, where the musical school has held open air concerts since 1843. Photo by Angela Lansbury, copyright. 

The Athaneum, Bucharest, where George Enescu first performed his orchestral Romanian Rhapsody.

Photo by Goldmund100 in Wikipedia.

www.festivalenescu.ro (Previous festivals in September)

Romania
We drove from the capital of Romania, Bucharest, to the second largest city, Brasov, to join a walking group. Near Sinai I saw a sign to the home of Romanian composer, George Enescu. It was late in the day and the place was closed but we and many other tourists gathered around the gate taking photos of the picturesque house in the woods. He designed this house himself, with the help of an architect.

George Enescu lived from 1881-1955. He taught Lord Yehudi Menuhin. Enescu was a composer and violinist. He travelled to the USA to perform, and lived in France. He is buried in Pere Lachaise cemetery, which has many dramatic graves of famous people and is a tourist attraction where devotees pay homage to their favourite artistes.

You can see a seated sculpture of him in Bucharest. Vienna has a wall plaque of his face on a bas relief on a house where he lived.

I wanted a musical souvenir of Roumania. I bought this music box which plays Rhapsodie Roumaine.

Switzerland
Festivals in Lucerne and Basel

Composers by Country
Poland - Chopin

UK -
London Beatles walking tour. You can walk across the zebra crossing which appeared on one of their covers.
Gilbert & Sullivan comic operetta (events at Grimsdyke Hotel, which was Gilbert's home).
Kenwood House, Hampstead.
Last Night of the Proms, Royal Albert Hall. Cheapest tickets are standing in the gallery.
Glyndbourne, opera, with strawberries and champagne picnics and deckchairs for hire.
Liverpool - statue of the Beatles
Many seasides have free concerts given around bandstands in parks in summer.
Musicals - look for two booths in London selling reduced price unsold or returned tickets on the day. You have to arrive early and queue up.
Tune your hire car radio to the BBC classical music stations. Or ask for a car which can play CDs and take your own discs with you to play on long journeys and in traffic jams.

You cannot get out your guitar and play it in a pub or restaurant unless they have a music license. The same goes for a Britain's Got Talent competition. I was in an event as a stand up comedy turn and we had to be moved out of the pub into a cricket club hall a week later because one of the turns was singing and the pub had no license.

Tribute Turns in Restaurants
Orama in Hatch End has regular tribute act evenings, very good value.
Greek restaurant
The Chinese Elvis performs regularly at a restaurant in Ruislip.

Wales
Cardiff Eisteddfod.


Welsh male voice choir performs at Writers Holiday in February in Fishguard, Wales.

The Welsh harp, performance with the Welsh male voice choir at Fishguard, Wales. Photo by Angela Lansbury, copyright.

The harpist showed me that the strings of the harp are coloured to help the player find the notes.

Welsh Male Voice Choir performing at Writers' Holiday, Fishguard. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

USA
All over America I saw items once owned by Elvis. A car in one museum, a suit in another, a guitar in another, a disc in another.
The great thing about America is that you are more likely to be able to hear country music on the airplane. You can do an Elvis tour.
Nashville.
Opryland. When I stayed at the Opryland hotel, I would go out in the morning, having had the radio off so I could sleep at night. I would come back and find the radio tuned to play Country music.
Graceland, home of Elvis.

YouTube
If you are looking for a national anthem or classic song, you are likely to find it on YouTube. I found several versions of the comic song about Romania. One was by Shirley Bassey. An even better one was by a Yiddish comic theatre group with a great tenor.

Several websites specialise in booking music events.
(I shall be adding more websites later. Come back tomorrow.)

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker,