A newly engaged American couple have expressed their love for Wrexham (and each other!) after choosing the city for their first ever trip to Europe.
Nic Harrington and Lainey Simonson both live in Green Bay, Wisconsin in the United States, and have been together for about two and a half years.
Although Wrexham boasts beautiful sights, fantastic people and of course a world famous football team, it's fair to say it is not a common base destination for a European adventure.
Discussing his decision to visit the young Welsh city, Nic said: "We like to travel to see football matches at different grounds. Neither of us had ever been out of the country before so we started looking at the normal places, Paris, London, Amsterdam, etc, but they were all pricey.
"We found cheap flights and lodging in Wrexham and we’ve loved the show since it came out so we figured “why not?”.
The trip ended up being extra special for the pair as Nic proposed on January 27 outside of Marubbi's Cafe, in the city centre.
On arriving at Wrexham Nic knew it was the perfect place for his romantic proposal as he said the city 'felt like home'.
He added: "The town is beautiful and felt like a perfect place to start the rest of our lives together."
Over their four day trip the newly engaged duo visited many sites across Wrexham including; St Giles Church, the University and even had a pint at the Turf.
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However, the highlight of the trip for Lainey and Nic was attending the Wrexham AFC match against Sheffield United at the racecourse stadium on Sunday, January 29.
The pair described themselves as 'casual fans' after watching the Welcome to Wrexham documentary and catching up with games on ESPN whenever they can.
Commenting on the atmosphere at the Wrexham match, Nic said it was "by far the craziest environment we’ve ever been in for a football match.
"I wish I had more words to describe it other than love but I don’t. The unity, passion, and energy has this powerful transcendental factor to it. You get lost in it in the most beautiful way. It’s raw and it’s real and it’s so, so, so much fun.
"You don’t have to love football for pretty passing or channel runs, but you can’t stand in a good supporters area and not find yourself smiling."
The couple managed to meet several Wrexham players including Ollie Palmer and Paul Mullin.
After arriving home from their trip Nic took to social media to post a range of holiday snaps, he added: "Overall, this trip was truly incredible. There were so many kind people willing to give so much simply because we were different from them. I will never forget this place, and can’t wait to return someday."
It appears the city would also have them back, Marubbi's cafe shared a message of congratulations to the couple following their engagement outside the venue.
A spokesperson at Marubbi's reflected on the 'Welcome to Wrexham' documentary effect on the city: "We’ve had dozens of American tourists visit the cafe. It’s been great, and says a lot that they have based their UK trip around visiting Wrexham."
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