My Total Eclipse Experience
I returned home last night from Zaragoza, and I think it’s safe to say that this trip is going to be one I remember for a very, very long time.
This had been planned for the last two years. I turned 60 in June, so there was absolutely no way I was going to miss out on this one.
My husband is also turning 60 in a few weeks, so we decided to bolt a Mediterranean cruise onto the beginning of the trip, taking our two grown-up kids with us. The plan was to dock in Barcelona, then my daughter and I would travel on to Zaragoza, the destination that was going to make one of my biggest dreams come true.
Simple, right?
Well... not quite.
At one point, I genuinely thought the whole thing was going to fall apart.
We arrived at the car hire place at Barcelona El Prat on 10 August, only to discover that I had left my driving licence at home.
Yes. My driving licence.
I had actually checked it off my pre-departure list because it was in my purse. But at the last minute, I decided to swap my purse for a smaller, less bulky one... and obviously the driving licence didn't make the move. 🤦🏻♀️
There was nothing the rental company could do for us. My daughter had her licence, but because she was only 21 and it was a same-day hire, they wanted just under €1,000.
So... Plan B.
We tried to buy a Carte Dorada for cheaper rail fares and get a direct train.
Nope. All sold out.
Plan C.
FlixBus.
All sold out. And the last one had already left.
We were rapidly running out of options, so we bought tickets on a Renfe train that took us back along the coast towards Tarragona before heading up through the mountains.
Six hours.
One train change somewhere in the middle of the mountains.
No seat reservations. No power points. No USB charging. No refreshments. Luckily, we'd brought water and a few snacks. The first train didn't even appear to have a toilet, and the air conditioning was, shall we say, not exactly enthusiastic.
The temperature went from 33°C in Barcelona to 40°C in Zaragoza.
The train change was a complete free-for-all, with people scrambling for seats and very limited space for luggage.
But we made it onto the next train and carried on towards our final destination.
I use that phrase cautiously, given the context of the Final Destination films and what happened next.
The train started to descend and needed to apply the brakes as we approached one of the stations.
Because we were in the middle of nowhere, the only time I could get any phone signal was when we were close to a station with some civilisation. So, rather than paying attention to what was happening around me, I was trying to Google alternative places to get the best view of the eclipse.
Our original plan had been to drive out into the countryside, but that had obviously gone completely tits up.
Then suddenly, people started screaming.
People were grabbing their cases and running.
There was a plume of smoke coming from the window right next to where I was sitting.
Then came the smell of burning.
Someone pulled the emergency stop.
The train came to a halt.
And everyone jumped off.
We had absolutely no idea what was happening.
It was another two hours before we finally got moving again.
Thankfully, we'd stopped somewhere we could get a phone signal, which meant I could contact the hotel and explain why we weren't there yet, that we were going to be even later, and, most importantly, please don't assume we were a no-show and give our room away, leaving us stranded in Zaragoza at goodness knows what time of night.
I will be eternally grateful to the gentleman who was travelling in our carriage.
He translated the conductor's instructions and updates for us because, while our Spanish is perfectly adequate for shopping, accommodation and ordering food, we had never thought to learn how to communicate in the event of an emergency involving a train catching fire.
He had lived in Edinburgh, and in Russia, for some time and was a Spanish teacher, so his English was excellent.
As a Geordie, he initially thought I was Scottish, which made me laugh.
He was also impressed with my daughter's attempts to speak Spanish and started giving her tips. He then kindly tried to help us find somewhere serving gluten-free food that might still be open when we eventually arrived, particularly as we'd eaten nothing apart from a few snacks.
When it became clear that we weren't going to arrive until after 23:30, he found us the address of a 24-hour supermarket instead.
Honestly, thank God for human kindness.
Eventually, we made it.
And somehow, despite everything, the next day we managed to scout out some potential viewing spots and ended up with a far better view than we would have had on the outskirts of the city, as we'd originally planned.
We were even able to share the experience with other people who happened to be on the bridge with us.
My stomach had been churning all day.
If this had been in the UK, I was convinced there would have been people camped out from the night before.
But it was 43°C.
So when we turned up at 18:30, ready to brave an hour of sweating buckets with absolutely no shade, I was genuinely amazed, and incredibly grateful, to discover that there was still plenty of space.
No overcrowding.
No fighting for a spot.
Just people waiting for something extraordinary to happen.
And then it did.
Let me know what you think of our view.
The sunset alone is now firmly etched into my brain as one of the most beautiful I've ever seen.
But then...
A total eclipse.
WOW.
The point of this post is to say what a beautiful city you have, we joined the tourist bus for a tour to get to know the history and to scope out options for viewing and in the brief time we had visiting, we're stunned by the architecture.
Secondly to hopefully find the wonderful gentleman who helped me and my daughter, the chances are slim I know but I've heard it happening. He was our angel that day.
Picture of the eclipse for anyone who missed it