Hartford, Connecticut, isn't exactly a tourist destination, which makes it all the more interesting in my opinion. West Hartford is very affluent with lovely residences and this is where the Elizabeth Park Conservancy is to be found (I am told that East Hartford is a different matter entirely). The rose garden is a riot of multicoloured flowers at the right time of year but at the time I visited, late August, the remaining roses seemed a bit scattered and lonely looking. Despite the heat (we had all somehow forgotten our caps) the garden was worth a pleasant stroll and the lake area was particularly attractive. The friendly visitor center sold local pottery and had restrooms and water fountains.

West Hartford is also known as being the one-time home of Samuel Clemens, otherwise known as Mark Twain. This opulent and fascinating house can only be visited as part of a guided tour and it was worth every cent of the hefty USD27 entry fee. The guide this time was excellent and the timing of the tour was perfect. Photos are not allowed to be taken of the interior but somehow we all got more out of the tour without fiddling on our phones. Mark Twain lived a high society life and it was interesting to note how he had pushed himself into bankruptcy and ended up becoming a wanderer in Europe, before managing to pay off his debts. I love his one line aphorisms. It is worth visiting the two galleries in the visitor center and viewing the 23 minute film in the small cinema before leaving.

I had to go to the Vietnamese supermarket (A Dong) afterwards, some distance away, which was a well stocked supermarket but the people who work there are not nice. The usual greed for money. Such a contrast to the loveliness of Vietnam.
I was driving around Connecticut with an electric Kia model, which was lovely to drive, but it was a challenge finding anywhere I could recharge it, especially around Winsted. The drive back to Winsted along US-44 was quite pleasant and scenic.



A solitary rose in the Elizabeth Park Conservancy in Hartford, Connecticut


Another part of the Elizabeth Park Conservancy, which was not at its best when I visited it


The nice lake in the Elizabeth Park Conservancy in Hartford


The Mark Twain House in Hartford, Connecticut


Photography is not permitted inside the Mark Twain House, so I took this from the website


Another pic of the interior of the Mark Twain House taken from their website