Europeans Paying Tribute to Elvis, Too

By Stephen M. Silverman

Wednesday August 14, 2002 10:00 AM EDT

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Yahoo Buzz
• E-mail

As fans continue to swarm to Graceland in Memphis to pay their respects to Elvis Presley, whose death took place exactly 25 years ago this coming Friday, so are the devoted also descending upon the Hotel Grunewald in the sleepy German spa town of Bad Nauheim, reports Reuters. Why Bad Nauheim? Because that's where the King lived in the late '50s while serving Uncle Sam as a GI in the U.S. Army. And not much has changed since Elvis's day, says the news service: the dark wooden double bed, the crystal chandelier, the overbearing oil painting in Room 10 on the third floor -- all steadfastly remain in place. The only thing missing is Elvis, though in his place are his fans, throngs of whom are coming from all over Europe to remember the music icon. Near the hotel and on stages all over Bad Nauheim, impersonators have gathered to deliver his songs and guided tours are being given to show off his favorite haunts. There's even to be a special cooking course scheduled, dedicated to the gourmand who allegedly ordered one of his planes to fly from Memphis to pick up his favorite peanut butter and banana sandwiches. Eventually, Elvis was asked to move out of the Hotel Grunewald after one of his bored bodyguards set a fire in the lobby, though there appears to be no ill will toward the King. It was also in Germany that he met 14-year-old Priscilla Beaulieu, who, at 21, became his wife.