WALES // If you've ever watched the kooky 1960s TV series The Prisoner, you might find yourself looking over your shoulder for giant bouncing balls as you explore curious Portmeirion in Wales, where the cult show was filmed. This collection of colorful Italianate buildings overlooking a vast sandy beach was created by Welsh architect Sir Clough Williams- Ellis, who lived by the maxim that beauty in life is a necessity. It was also the former home of the Portmeirion pottery factory, whose florid tableware graces untold British dining tables. It's all rather captivating and slightly unnerving, given this is a village with no permanent residents. Something you would find nowhere else but in Britain, for sure.