Christmas in The Land of Dreams

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Christmas 2012 was to be my first Christmas away from my family in New Zealand. I always I imagined that I would end up spending it in a hostel in one of Europes major cities; I would meet a group of random travelling orphans like myself and we would spend the day eating precooked supermarket ham, drinking a mulled wine or four and sharing stories. However, of course things don’t always go as planned and on December 22 I found myself sitting on a coach to Tenby, Pembrokeshire; a fishing town on the West Coast of Wales.



Why, you might wonder, would I go to this small town that no one has ever heard of? Well, in an interesting but wonderful turn of events, my sister moved to this village just a few weeks earlier. I was lucky enough to spend Christmas with her and her partner’s family, who welcomed me warmly into their home. Despite the rain and the cold (a contrast to the summer time Christmas at the beach I am used to), the day was perfect, and being with my sister and a family bursting with love made me feel right at home.



I could definitely see why my sister liked living in Tenby: With the rugged coastline, the colourful cliff top buildings and the local pubs where I knew half the landlords after 2 days, it was clear why the locals call it the land of dreams. I have since been back to visit Tenby and its surrounding towns and I hope to visit many times again this summer, when I’m sure all of the Welsh holiday makers will come down to the beach to play. For the rest of world’s travellers, Pembrokeshire seems to remain a hidden gem and the locals of Tenby are certainly proud to keep it this way. So shhh, you didn't hear about it from me!

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