Park the bikes - it's time for a day of rest in Nashville.So that was the day of rest from the road. But Nashville is not a city designed to let you sleep. There are probably 2 ways to do this city; the guided tour which the hotel tried to force upon us. Or the follow your nose method - or more precisely your ears - they don't call it Music City for nothing! We chose the latter. You may not think that you are a great Country Music fan, but if anything is going to change your mind then the Nashville Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum is the place. In honesty I suspect Stuart and Sylvia came along out of politeness; to humour their eccentric chums. But by the end of it they showed the ultimate appreciation - and bought the tee-shirt(s). The history of country music is pretty well the history of the USA, so with that museum done we felt that the cultural box was ticked. So, to Hooters for lunch. And another tee-shirt for Stuart.
Nothing else for it then - the honky tonk music bars beckoned. There were a few to choose from - we started with the atmospheric Bourbon Street Blues & Boogie Bar - and here is where we started to discover the real culture and heartbeat of this city. No coach tours here - and we were felt suitably mellow as we joined about 3 other people to listen to Gill Gander perform some great blues - interspersed with some "poleamberlatin' " - a new word for me - Nashville for rambling between songs. Then, in one of those odd coincidental moments that you get from time to time we started chatting to an American couple..."Oh we love England" they said "we lived there for a number of years - in a little village called Nailsworth. You've probably not even heard of it." Eh? Except that our son lives there! Weird.
Thereafter one great scene after another - Johnny Cash merits his own museum - which merits a visit even if you think that you don't like him much. The Whiskey Bent Saloon (I know - it sounds as if we're slipping downhill here), a surprisingly large shop that sells whatever you want (as long as it is coyboy boots), Rippy's Smokin' BBQ & Grill and whereever you go the background soundtrack of country music. Getting louder and louder as the evening wore on - such that by the time we needed to call a taxi for the hotel it was almost impossible to find a spot on the street to converse on a mobile phone.
In summary - as a day of rest this was an epic fail. We are even more tired this evening that we were yesterday. But Nashville is wonderful - it does exactly what it says on the tin - or more suitably - what it says on the record label.

This is Nashville Education:

Random singer - Bryan Grayson - might be famous one day.

More music...