Welcome World Leaders

Well, the world’s eyes and ears will be on little old Wales this week, as our beautiful country welcomes the 2014 NATO Summit. 61 world leaders, including Barack Obama (USA), Angela Merkel (Germany), Francois Hollande (France) and of course our own Prime Minister.

It is the first time that Britain has hosted a NATO summit since 1990 when Margaret Thatcher was in power, and it will certainly be a first for Wales. The conference will be held over two days later this week, on the 4th and 5th September down in Newport near Cardiff. It has been hailed as the largest event of it’s type in the UK for 30 years.

Of course, the aims of the NATO Summit in Wales are serious ones – it will address issues regarding world politics, peace, terrorism and cyber attacks. But, it’s a great opportunity for Wales to showcase to the world just how beautiful it is. And furthermore, it’s the first time a serving American president will set foot on Welsh soil.

So, just in case President Obama has a spare day or three to visit the rest of our glorious country, we’ve put together a list of Welsh “must-sees” that he simply can’t go home without visiting…….

• The Wales Coast Path – arguably one of the finest coast paths in the world, we recommend that President Obama spend at least a day hiking along the beautiful coastline of the Llyn Peninsula, although any section of the path is stunning.
• Coasteering off the Anglesey coast – nothing beats the adrenaline rush of jumping into a wild and refreshing sea. And Anglesey is the perfect place to do it!
• Harlech Castle – one of the finest surviving medieval castles in Wales, President Obama will surely be impressed with the ancient bricks that are still standing. Especially coming from the all-modern USA.
• Portmeirion – one of our favourites too, the president will love this quirky italinate village complete with stunning views and gorgeous hotel.
• Welsh Mountain Zoo – ok, so it may not be on the scale of some of it’s American counterparts, but we think the President will be quite taken with the charm and intimacy of this lovely coastal zoo.
• A rugby match at Millennium Stadium – You can’t visit Wales and not experience a rugby match at the Millennium Stadium, what an atmosphere! Just make sure you cheer on the right side Mr President.
• The top of Snowdon – of course, we hope he walks to the top, but if he’s feeling a bit sleepy after all that conferencing, Mr Obama can jump on one of the best mountain railways in Britain, all the way to the summit of Wales’s highest hill.
• A pint at the Oakeley – of course, Mr Obama won’t have experienced a true Welsh welcome if he doesn’t pop into the Oakeley for a pint of our very own Oakeley Dokeley at the bar… See you soon Mr President!

We think Mr Obama will love our suggestions of which Welsh gems to visit whilst he’s here…..
Image by Marc Nozell on Wiki Commons

We wish all the world leaders a happy, productive and safe NATO Summit in Wales. We hope you love our little country as much as we do!

So where would you take Obama? Have we missed out any “must-sees”? Let us know in the comments box below!