3 days Ago
A YOUTUBER with more than six million subscribers immersed himself in Welsh culture when he made a two-day visit to Conwy, Gwynedd and Anglesey. Arieh Smith, better known as Xiaomanyc, can speak dozens of languages, and had started to learn Welsh from an Argentinian online. In the video, uploaded to his YouTube channel in late March, Arieh is shown the sights of North Wales by tour guide John Pritchard, from Celticos, where he makes an impressive effort at speaking Welsh - and gets a lot of free food and drinks.
On day one, there’s free coffee from L’s Coffee and Book Shop, on High Street in Conwy – “I don’t think I’ve ever been pulled off the street for a free coffee before!”, he says. Then he visits Popty Conwy Bakery, on Castle Street, where a member of staff who recognises him asks: “You’re the language guy, aren’t you?” There he’s given free Welsh cakes, which he described as being “like a cross between bread and a cookie”. John took Arieh to Caernarfon, “probably the last town in the world where almost everyone still speaks Welsh”.
He enjoys a free pint and a selfie with the barman at the Anglesey Arms, where he’s also asked if he’s friends with President Trump by a customer after telling him he’s from New York. This is followed by a training session at Rygbi Gogledd Cymru (North Wales Rugby) at Stadiwm CSM in Colwyn Bay. On day two, Arieh is taken on the Menai Strait with boat tour agency RibRide, and then he goes to visit Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, where he practises pronouncing the village’s name.
Then, he visits Gareth Wyn Jones, “the most-followed farmer in the world on YouTube”, at his farm at Tyn Llwyfan, and watches as his son, Sior, communicates with their sheep to get them back into their pen Gareth then takes Arieh on a quadbike ride, resulting in them reuniting a lost shop with her mother. Afterwards, he and John eat at Llofft Cymru in Y Felinheli, where he enjoys “more incredible food that nobody would let me pay for”, and the “most delicious bara brith I’ve ever had”. More free food follows at Tafarn Y Fic in Pwllheli, before Arieh finishes his trip with a rowing trip off Anglesey.
The full 25-minute video can be found on his YouTube channel..
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