We went to Spain to see a total solar eclipse. We did not get a clear view of the corona. And we’d still do the whole thing again tomorrow.
Here’s the story of our eclipse day in Asturias: the clouds we chased, the village we couldn’t have found on purpose, and the best picnic of the trip.
We Knew It Was a Gamble
Asturias, in northern Spain, is famous for being green, and green usually means clouds. We knew going in that we might not actually see the eclipse. We went anyway, because we have a friend there and wanted to visit for other reasons, so even a total washout wasn’t a total loss.
The frustrating part? Monday and Tuesday were gloriously sunny. Wednesday, eclipse day, the clouds rolled in from the very beginning of the morning. Then the sun would pop out, then the clouds would return. Back and forth all morning. Cue the nervous pacing.
Plan B (and C, and D)
Our friend Mariela’s husband, Mario, was working in a town called Porceyo and texted that it was sunny there. Our hosts had backup plans ready depending on the weather, and they decided we’d head to Porceyo, where the family has a house with a bit of property in the suburbs.
By the time we arrived, it was cloudy again.
So we did what any desperate eclipse chasers would do: we got back in the car and started driving south toward Oviedo while one of us stared at a satellite cloud map on a phone. It looked like the sky was clear just south of Oviedo.
There was just one problem. The clouds were moving south too. Every time we reached a clear spot, the clouds got there right behind us.
Pola de Laviana: Where the Sky Finally Cleared
Eventually we pulled into a little town in the middle of nowhere. Someone had to look it up to figure out where we even were: Pola de Laviana.
And the sky was clear.
We put on our eclipse glasses and watched the partial eclipse from the middle of a picturesque Asturian village, the kind of place that definitely felt like somewhere Americans don’t usually end up. Even the friend from Asturias who was driving us admitted he had no idea where we were. Then he added the line we still think about all the time: “I don’t know where we are, but it is beautiful.”
After about 20 minutes, the clouds finally caught up, and there was just no outrunning them. They covered the sun, though we still got to experience the eerie darkness of the eclipse. We never got to see the corona, and yes, that would have been amazing. But being somewhere that unexpected made the whole experience feel special. No regrets.
A Very Asturian Picnic
After all that driving, Mario and Mariela had packed a picnic. We were going to eat right on the street, but Mario worried people would stare, so we found a small park in a former mining village nearby.
The menu:
- Empanada, Asturian-style. Forget the hand-held kind you’re picturing. This was more like a rectangular chicken pot pie, only far better. (To be clear: much, much better than a frozen banquet pot pie. The crust alone wins.)
- Sidra (Asturian cider). Poured right there by the road. You could never do this in the US. Drinking in a public park next to the street is just normal there, and the cider is fairly low in alcohol, somewhere around 5%.
Then we drove back to the house in Porceyo, where Mario cooked morcilla, a Spanish blood sausage. We also had jamón, probably some cheese, and the kind of casual “a little of this, a little of that” spread you eat outside while the evening slides by.
They even taught us how to pour sidra the traditional way. It is much harder than it looks.
Travel tip: Asturian cider has its own special glasses. We bought a couple of bottles at the airport but didn’t want to risk breaking glasses on the flight home. Now, we’re hunting for the glasses online.
Why Local Friends Make the Best Travel Experiences
This day reminded us why we love traveling with locals. We don’t want to say it’s a “real” experience, as if other travel isn’t real, but this was zero tourists. It opened doors we’d never have found on our own. If we had rented a car by ourselves, we would have stayed close to the highway and never ended up in Pola de Laviana, eating pot pie by the side of the road.
Tips for Eclipse Chasing in a Cloudy Place
- Build in flexibility. Have backup locations and a car, and be ready to move.
- Use a satellite cloud map, not just a forecast, on eclipse day, but remember that clouds move.
- Bring proper eclipse glasses. Even a partial eclipse needs them. And make sure they’re good ones. Mariela was surprised that the ones she bought were made in the U.S.
- Pack a picnic. If the eclipse doesn’t go perfectly, at least you’ll eat well.
- Go with a local if you can. It makes all the difference.
Thanks for stopping by! Check out our Go See Do Explore Podcast, available wherever you listen to podcasts. To read about some of our previous trips, visit my Trips Page. If you like my photos be sure to “like” my Facebook Page and follow me on Instagram! For my list of gadgets to make your travels easier, click here.