(photos by Nandini Banerjee) The four-day Hindu festival of Durga Puja that takes place every fall all over eastern region of India is underway. It's become more about expressing folk artistry and playing traditional music than about the religion itself, which makes it an ideal celebration for foreigners to attend. The decorations and makeshift temples […]

If I needed travel advice, I wouldn’t want to ask Judy Grimes, the hilarious travel expert played by Kristen Wiig on Saturday Night Live. But if I wanted to learn how to speak very quickly and softly without ever taking a breath with plenty of “just kidding” sprinkled in, then she’d be my go-to gal.

One thing on my Wales to-do list was to visit a National Trust Garden. I’m a big fan of gardens — I love to visit the Conservatory Garden in Central Park. I had always heard about these beautiful British gardens — and seen them on TV. Luckily, Bodnant Garden, which is considered one of the […]

I’ve known about Portmeirion dishes for years — I’ve seen the botanical print pottery in many department stores. But I didn’t know why they were called Portmeirion or really anything about them aside from their existence. It turns out that the company takes its name from Portmeirion, Wales (pictured above), an Italianate resort village on […]

When I visited the Smallest House in Great Britain, which is located in Conwy, Wales, I thought it was very small indeed. But as for The Ugly House near the picturesque town of Betws-y-Coed, Wales? Well, I don't think it's ugly at all!

Isn’t the real estate mantra “location, location, location”? Well, what the Smallest House in Great Britain lacks in square footage it makes up for in location. It’s located right on the river in Conwy, Wales, which is a charming medieval town that’s famous for its castle. The town also still has its protective walls in […]

Seeing the real thing is always better than seeing a reproduction, which is one of the reasons why I love traveling. Well, I'm happy to report that while I enjoyed seeing a replica of the World's Longest Train Station Sign when it was visiting the British Memorial Garden in NYC's financial district in March, seeing […]

Welsh is a tough language to pick up. It’s hard to spell and ever harder to pronounce. So far, I’ve learned Croeso Cymru (Welcome to Wales) and Halen Mor Pur Gwyn (Pure White Sea Salt). That’s because the Isle of Anglesey is famous for its salt and is home to the gourmet salt manufacturer Halen […]

When I woke up in Llandudno, Wales, the first thing I did was to look out the window to check the weather. I wanted to see if Day One's blue skies were planning a reprise. Instead I was greeted by thick clouds. But it turned out that the gloomy weather added to the atmosphere of […]

After two planes (Newark to Heathrow, Heathrow to Manchester) and three trains (Manchester to Newton-Le-Willows, Newton-Le-Willows to Chester, Chester to Llandudno Junction), I finally arrived this afternoon in Llandudno, Wales. Incredibly, all of my connections were on time and went smoothly. However, I was completely exhausted by the time I got to my hotel so […]