We Asked Non-Welsh People To React To Pictures Of Wales And This Is What Happened

"I'm trying to figure out how this would look as a location tag on Instagram."

We sent 12 uncaptioned photos of Wales to BuzzFeed offices in the US, India, and London and asked them to write down the first thing that came into their heads. This is what they said:

1. Portmeirion

Flickr: eifion / Creative Commons

Scott (London): NO, THIS ISN'T WALES. I'M SORRY, YOU ARE MISTAKEN. I expect a huge correction to this story to be added to this later, sorry.

Elena (New York): This looks like a scene in a Wes Anderson film.

Hilary (Edinburgh): It's amazing. It looks like a film set, or an Italian village or something. Are those palm trees? Since when did you have palm trees in Wales. And where are the sheep? This can't possibly be Wales, sorry.

Robin (London): Stop lying. This is not Wales.

Remee (London): This looks like the south of Spain?? THIS IS NOT WALES, IS IT???

Tabatha (London): This looks like the most Instagrammable place on earth.

2. The Welsh flag

Flickr: bods / Creative Commons

Tabatha (London): The Welsh flag is so powerful. I mean, that's an actual dragon. An actual dragon!

Elena (New York): Is that the missing Hogwarts house in Harry Potter?!

Robin (London): I will always be jealous of your flag. I mean, come on, IT'S A FUCKING DRAGON.

Remee (London): It's better than the England flag, can't deny it.

Nirali (Mumbai): Is this the work of a fandom?

Ivor (New York): I was once told its name was "Idris" but I'm pretty sure that's not true.

3. Ogwen Valley

Flickr: jixxer / Creative Commons

Flo (London): That mountain looks bigger than the whole of Wales. How does it fit in?

Maggy (London): Literally any minute Frodo and Sam are going to climb up there. Just you wait!

Robin (London): Very pretty. But where's the Nando's?

Scott (London): This is basically 99% Wales. That's why like 123 people live in the middle bit, I think.

Nirali (Mumbai): This is the natural habitat of WEREWOLVES!

Remee (London): I feel like Tom Jones in the picture would lift the mood a bit. Although it's quite a sexy photo already.

4. Welsh cakes

Flickr: zingyyellow / Creative Commons

Hilary (Edinburgh): I want to have a relationship with whatever that is. I want to hold hands with it, walk through fields, tell it my life story, get to know it on an emotional level, and then BAM, stuff it into my face.

Luke (London): Is that a Welsh cake? It's cake, so that sounds good.

Amna (London): Tasty sugar coma.

Elena (New York): I have no idea what these are, but they need to get in my mouth right now.

Ivor (New York): No matter where you go in the world, raisins ruin everything.

Crystal (LA): I'll take 10.

5. Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch

Flickr: comedynose / Creative commons

Robin (London): Pretty sure a cat just walked across the keyboard of the sign maker's computer, tbh.

Chelsey (London): I'm trying to figure out how this would look as a location tag on Instagram.

Ivor (New York): I think whoever named it in the 10th century knew full well it was a publicity stunt.

Elena (New York): This looks like what people think Iggy Azalea is singing.

Alan (London): LOLfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, more like.

Remee (London): ????!!!!!??????$%#%^^???!!!!!???

6. Wales Millennium Centre

Flickr: wojtekgurak / Creative commons

Alan (London): Excellent spot for an alien invasion.

Crystal (LA): It's like Frank Gehry decided to go lumbersexual.

Flo (London): It's a bit much.

Robin (London): Looks pretty cool. Also, isn't this where that rift in space-time is? That's pretty badass. England doesn't have one of those.

Chelsey (London): :thumbsup:

7. Caernafon Castle

Flickr: swampa / Creative commons

Robin (London): I would hire the man who cut this grass to do my garden if I had a garden. Excellent work.

Remee (London): This is where I am going to live with my 300 staff and my corgis.

Flo (London): V well-kept lawn.

Nirali (Mumbai): HOGWARTS!

Elena (New York): This is definitely where the Quidditch tournaments are happening.

Tabatha (London): The grass in so green! The castle has so many turrets! I wanna live in Wales. :(

8. A red kite

Flickr: vidyo / Creative commons

Flo (London): V big bird. Again, would not fit in tiny Wales. Is Wales like the TARDIS?

Luke (London): That's a giant eagle. That's why all the dragons have gone, because they all got killed by the giant eagles, like the Nazgûl at the end of The Lord of the Rings.

Ivor (New York): It's a hawk. Are hawks a Welsh thing?

Chelsey (London): I'm not sure if this is a falcon or a hawk and I'm wondering if you can train them.

Hilary (Edinburgh): That's a bald eagle, isn't it? Don't you only get those in America? Stop trying to steal other people's national animals, Wales. It's throwing some serious shade, that's for sure.

Remee (London): I once read a story about some woman who got attacked by an eagle and she panicked and ran in to her house all bloody and then died and they thought her husband had pushed her down the stairs. I think he's still in jail.

9. Snowdon mountain railway

Flickr: 47515486@N05 / Creative Commons

Luke (London): Why so many hills?

Alan (London): I did not know about this. It looks like the Swiss Alps. When I went to Wales recently I got stuck in the rain in Merthyr. I think I did Wales wrong.

Hilary (Edinburgh): That train looks like it's run out of track. Do people have to walk back down again? That's some very poor planning, Wales.

Ivor (New York): Cheerful, verdant, full of life. Doesn't make me want to throw myself from the peak at all.

Remee (London): The Welsh Orient Express?

Tabatha (London): This looks like such a beautiful train journey. Take me now, please.

10. Castell Coch

Flickr: lesbessant / Creative commons

Tabatha (London): This looks like something straight out of a fairy tale. Really, really gorgeous.

Remee (London): I feel like if anyone lives here they must be like, "Hahahaha, fuck you everyone, my life is a fairy tale," like, every day.

Luke (London): Is this where Owain Glyndŵr hung out?

Alan (London): It's sad to think there's a princess asleep in that top tower. :(

Amna (London): Is that where Rapunzel is kept against her will?

Crystal (LA): If there's a forest fire, they're fucked.

11. Cawl

Flickr: twmlabs / Creative commons

Ivor (New York): I don't know what it is, but I bet it involves leeks.

Maggy (London): This is like someone tipped their fridge upside down and boiled all the contents.

Robin (London): Meat? Good. Potato? Good. Other stuff? Goooood!

Flo (London): I think it would cure "the sniffles" very well.

Chelsey (London): I would eat so much of this in the winter, I can tell.

Tabatha (London): There can't be many problems that a bowl of this deliciousness can't solve. Potatoes = good. Leeks = good. Carrots = good. YUM.

12. Cardiff skyline

Flickr: marksphotostream / Creative commons

Remee (London): Where are the sheep? Thought you had lots of sheep? I SEE NO SHEEP.

Ivor (New York): I think that's Argentina.

Nirali (Mumbai): That's too many buildings.

Amna (London): Rebuilt after the dragon fire of '99. Looking good.

Luke (London): This clearly isn't in Wales.

Scott (London): Nope, not Wales. Another correction, BuzzFeed, sorry.