The Last Total Solar Eclipse
of the 20th Century
In February 1998 I traveled to see the Total Solar Eclipse visible in Aruba. It was WONDERFUL! So I decided to go see the next one. It occurred on August 11, 1999 and passed right through the heart of Europe. Myself and a group of teachers, amateur astronomers, and just interested folk left August 4 from various places in the United States and rendezvoused in Prague, Czech Republic on the 5th. From there we spent 11 more days travelling through central Europe. The highlight, of course, was the Total Solar Eclipse of 11 August.
On Eclipse Day we left Budapest at 5:00 AM. (Traffic was our concern as thousands were expected to flock to the eclipse zone). We arrived at Herend by 8:30. We parked at the Viktoria Restaurant and Hotel and spent the day visiting the pottery factory in Herend, enjoying the food that was served up at the restaurant and generally having a wonderful time. The day started out with mixed clouds and clear sky, clearing up in mid-morning. Scattered clouds returned as first contact approached. During the partial phase, the clouds gradually increased. As the sun reached 90% coverage, I had difficulty following it in my camcorder, as the clouds made it too faint to see through the neutral density 5 filter covering the lens. But I could not risk taking the filter off just yet because there were openings in the clouds. As second contact approached, the clouds remained, but as the diamond ring diminished, we could see the pearly white light of the corona with no trouble at all. In fact, through the unfiltered camcorder (a Sony with an 18X optical zoom), the effect of the thin clouds passing over the sun enhances the effect!
It was superb! The greatest part was that, for most of our group of 30, this was their first total solar eclipse. The reactions were priceless. (Again, check out the video). The owner of the restaurant was so taken with the celebration that he joined by breaking out champagne, so we could toast the eclipse! It was, without a doubt, a day to remember.
The remainder of our trip through Austria and Bavaria was likewise, very good. The mountain scenery was delightful (especially for this Florida flatlander) and the architecture awe inspiring. I will be posting more photos of the trip later.
Our basic itinerary is below.
| Night | City |
| 1,2 | Prague, Czech Rep. |
| 3,4 | Vienna, Austria |
| 5,6 | Budapest, Hungary |
| 7 | Graz, Austria |
| 8 | Salzburg, Austria |
| 9,10 | Munich, Germany |
Some of our other trips.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me (cjp2@comcast.net).