She Said Yes — On A Mountain In Snowdonia
A huge step forward for our long-distance relationship
That’s it, I’m engaged to be married and I couldn’t be happier about it.
Natália and I have been together now for about 4 and a half years. We met in Argentina. I was travelling the globe on a motorcycle and she was working and studying in the city of Buenos Aires.
I’m British and Natália is Brazilian. Did I think a long-distance relationship was going to work at the beginning? Not really. I’ve heard they rarely do. But, I’ve also had failed relationships with women that lived in the next town from me. I was happy to give this one a go for sure as she seemed worth the effort of finding out what will happen next, and hoping it wasn’t just a holiday romance.
After many trips back and forth to see each other and a global pandemic was thrown into the mix (11 months of not being able to see each other) we found ourselves hiking in the hills of North Wales.
Time was pushing on with this latest visit of hers to England. We’ve just spent 3 months together travelling around and enjoying time together again. It’s been fantastic and I knew I wanted to ask her to marry me on this trip before she went home again.
I’ve known for a while that I want to spend my years with this woman in my life. She makes me happy and I’m a better man for being around her. Getting married seemed the likely course of action, especially as we would need to if we wanted to have some sort of normal relationship living together in the same country. Wanting to spend your life with a foreigner is not easy as it turns out.
I booked us into a room for four nights in Snowdonia and planned some days out walking with her. One of my favourite spots is the Glyders. It’s a stunning location in the Ogwen Valley with really impressive views that can slap you right in the face. I knew she’d be impressed.
We hiked up through Cwm Idwal and up onto the high ground in a place called Devils Kitchen. From here we got hit hard by the wind all the way to the summit of Y Garn. Not a particularly impressive summit but the views of the valley are staggering on a clear day. Something we did not have.
There’s a spot on the ridgeline back down that seems to just stand out and you feel an almost 360-degree panoramic of the whole valley. It’s impressive. On good days the Royal Air Force train here and fly all manner of aircraft through the valley. This spot is level with the planes and is truly an amazing experience to witness.
This spot, was where the magic happened. Down on one knee I went, heart racing and I ask those words. She said yes. I didn’t want to be anywhere else.
It’s a huge move forward for us, and I guess for anyone planning on getting married. For us, it means a giant step forward to get some sort of ‘normal’ life together. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve enjoyed our travels together but the thought of us being able to stay put for a while, together, and building our own home really excites us. Of course, we have so many more travels ahead of us to plan and execute but in between all that I’m looking forward to finally being present, with Natália by my side.
Speak soon.
