For the solar eclipse on August 12th, I visited the north coast of Spain and planned a few days in the Pyrenees beforehand. I have not had the best luck with planes lately, and was delayed several hours causing a missed connection and therefore missed a day and a half in the mountains. After having to forfeit a stay at the Gran Lujo in Canfranc, I caught up to my itinerary in Cauterets. This is a very cute French town. I managed a hike to some lakes, but it was a very foggy day.
The next couple days was in Gavarnie, France, which was my favorite location. The weather cooperated and the mountains did not disappoint.
Following the mountains we stayed in San Sebastian in a hotel overlooking the city. It was Semana Grande, a week celebrated with fireworks.
Next stop was a couple days near Bilbao, next to the infamous Barrika beach and the "dragonstone fortress" of Gaztelugatxe made famous in Game of Thrones. It has been a sanctuary since the 800s, and has a small church on top.
Finally I made it out to Santander to watch the eclipse. The coast line was beautiful, and we had a great sunset the night prior to eclipse. I arrived 8 hours early and spent all day in the hot sun. When the eclipse finally arrived at 8:30 pm, clouds rolled it obscuring the finale. At least the journey was amazing.
