Total Solar Eclipse

 On August 12, 2026, a total solar eclipse was visible from Spain! This was the first total eclipse visible from mainland Europe since 1999, so there was a lot of excitement building up about the event. The city of Barcelona provided 2 million free glasses to watch the eclipse and grocery stores capitalized on the marketing opportunity this event provided. Barcelona was just outside of the path of totality, with coverage of about 99.8%, but by traveling just an hour or so outside the city by train, you could reach cities like Sitges or Tarragona where coverage was 100%. 

Eclipse tomatoes at Ametller Origen lol

I was working in the clinic this day, so leaving town with enough time wasn't possible. Instead, Kevin and I met some friends at Montjuïc to enjoy the spectacle. The eclipse was scheduled to start at 19:35 with peak coverage at 20:29. I was able to leave the clinic early, but Kevin had a meeting scheduled until 19:00. Luckily, his meeting got cancelled and we left to meet friends shortly before 19:00. 

We knew the metro would be packed, so instead, we grabbed some bikes and got as close to Montjuïc as we could by bike. We were lucky to find 2 spots to park our bikes at a somewhat closeby bike station and met our friends, Amanda, Eli, Gergana and Georges on the steps close to the Magic Fountain. It was hot and quite humid outside (~30º), so we were all sweaty and dreading the walk to the look-out point ahead. 

We walked up the steps and set off on our quest to find a viable viewing spot. We had some ideas in mind, but with the crowds, we were pretty prepared to be flexible. Eventually, our map led us to the Olympic Ring area near the Olympic Stadium. There was a huge open space and plenty of people camped out for the eclipse. The views weren't bad, so we decided to stop here instead of continuing onto Mirador Migdia. 

At Anella Olímpica

Here, we camped out for the rest of the eclipse. We caught up with each other, took cute pictures, shared pretzels from Bulgaria and brownies I made with Belgian chocolate, and enjoyed sharing this experience together! We made jokes about not being able to see anything, especially when pictures were taken and had to manuever ourselves around several columns to get a good view. A lot of us hadn't seen Gergana in a few months and Matteo joked that "seeing her is the real eclipse." The sky started to look a little darker, and it was cool to watch the eclipse get closer and closer to total coverage right above the mountains. It didn't get quite as dark as I was expecting, so I guess the 0.2% really does make a big difference. When the moon reached peak coverage of the sun, the crowd errupted in applause. It was really cute and kind of funny. People from Spain really love to clap at everything!

Me and Gergana

Our group!

Getting closer to peak coverage

Peak coverage, with no protection over my lens

After it was over, we all went out different ways. Kevin had a 21:30 meeting, so he and I hustled to a bike station where the 27 available bikes quickly dwindled to 7. Luckily, we were able to snag a few bikes and made the long way downhill to get home. It took about 29 minutes, but that was probably faster and less crowded than the metro. 

Since the eclipse was in the evening and low set in the sky, I would say that this 2 minute total solar eclipse was not the most impressive one I have seen in my lifetime, but it was still a fun thing to experience with friends without having to leave the city and something I'll always remember!