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Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, a small town in northern Wales, is a quiet, friendly place that boasts what is (arguably) the longest name of any town in the world. It took me a lot of practice to learn to pronounce the name, which means “Saint Mary’s Church in the Hollow of the White Hazel near a Rapid Whirlpool and the Church of Saint Tysilio of the Red Cave”, and is sometimes abbreviated to Llanfairpwllgwyngyll or Llanfair PG (58 letters can be a bit much). Welsh- which is one of the oldest languages in Europe if not the oldest- is alive and well here, and can be both heard and seen everywhere.

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This sign was about 40 feet long.

The Welsh dragon on the side of a tavern.

Plenty of old buildings are still in use, like this one.

The actual “Llanfair”, or Saint Mary’s Church, from which the town gets its name.

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An old gravestone written in Welsh.

Sailing in the Swellies.

Two local cyclists at the town’s welcome sign.

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Street sign written in Welsh.

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Another sign written in Welsh

Llanfairpwll Bowling Club

This is what I saw when I got off at the train station.

Here is my attempt at pronouncing it…

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