Planning eclipse 2016: Choose your location

The 9th of March 2016 we get the amazing opportunity to watch a solar eclipse, but what is the best location to watch it from? We have made a list of the most interesting places – based on weather, eclipse duration and of course natural attractions and touristic values.

---

The partial eclipse – Faroe Islands

Partial eclipse visible in parts of Australia (Darwin, Christmas Island), Brunei, Cambodia, Cocos Islands, Guam, Malaysia, parts of Micronesia, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, parts of the Philippines (General Santos, Davao, Manila), Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste and parts of the USA (Hawaii)

Link: Is the eclipse visible in your city?
(type in your city in the search bar on this website)

---

The total solar eclipse is visible from a few small islands in the Federated States of Micronesia, but most of the eclipse track is visible from Indonesia.

Eclipse track over Indonesia

To see the full eclipse track in detail, check out the NASA website

Although the small islands of Micronesia have better weather forecasts, we have decided to watch the eclipse from Indonesia, because, simply, it’s an amazing country to travel through! We are deciding right now which location would be ideal to watch it, and that’s why we are summing up all the possibilities in Indonesia in this blog post.

24 hours in Bruges

The most visited city in Belgium is without a doubt the city centre of Bruges. Tourists love it, and you can’t blame them: the charming medieval centre, the art masterpieces, the enchanting canals – Bruges has a lot of attractions, but you have to be patient if you want to see them all. We spent 48 hours in Bruges and made a list of all the things that are really worth visiting: What to visit when you have 24 hours in Bruges.

Medieval Centre

If there is one thing you definitely need to do on a visit to Bruges, is a stroll around the medieval centre. Start at the Markt and make your way to the Burg, where you can take a look at detailed medieval facades and dozens of horse carriages. A horse carriage fits 4 to 6 people and it will cost you €40-50 to take a tour around the medieval centre.

You can take a horse carriage ride from the Burg

10 reasons to visit the Faroe Islands

In the beginning of this year we got the opportunity to watch the total solar eclipse in the beautiful Faroe Islands. It didn’t take us very long to become totally infatuated with this gorgeous place. We started an amazing relationship with the Faroe Islands as we took ours to another level. But you don’t need to get engaged or watch a total solar eclipse to really enjoy the Faroe Islands.

Read: Total solar eclipse 2015: Faroe Islands

We recommend a visit to everyone who loves untouched nature, a culture that is different but similar and breathtaking scenery that will make you believe in fairytales and trolls. We made a list of the top reasons why you should visit Faroe Islands at least once in your life:

The most beautiful villages in the Faroe Islands

Mountains, waterfalls, cliffs and adventure are all words that come to mind when you think about the Faroe Islands. The country also has some gorgeous little villages to offer. Grass roofed houses, colourful wooden churches and nature colliding with civilisation: the cute villages of the Faroe Islands will charm everybody who visits.

Traditional Faroese house

Total solar eclipse 2015: Faroe Islands

It finally happened. The day we planned for so long, our reason to embark on our travel, the reason to come to these beautiful islands. After we saw a total solar eclipse in Cairns, we knew we had to see another one.

Curious spectators of the solar eclipse.

Hike from Tórshavn to Kirkjubøur

In Dutch we say, “After rain, sunshine comes”, and that is exactly what happened to the Faroe Islands. We were lucky to have two sunny days in a row, so we decided this would be a great time for some hiking. The first day we went from Tórshavn to Kirkjubøur, the second day from Leirvik to the top of the mountain, ending with a roadtrip through some of the northern islands. This will be all about our first day.

A beautiful day for hiking

Our first impression of the Faroe Islands

We’ve only been on the Faroe Islands for three days now, and we already feel like we never want to leave. The scenery, the people, the culture, and the adventure leave nothing to be desired. There are so many things that make the Faroe Islands a unique place.

When we arrived in Tórshavn on a cloudy morning, there was snow everywhere. We couldn’t believe our eyes when we drove through the mountains to our new home, taking pictures every minute, since after every corner there is another moment of breathtaking scenery.

Krakelingen: Medieval festival of Geraardsbergen

Back to Follow the Sun

Sunday the 22nd of February we went to a festival that was new to the both of us: Krakelingen in Geraardsbergen. It’s an ancient festival, dating back to at least the 14th century, and even then it was described as an old tradition already. Every year, on the last Sunday of February, this town remembers its centuries-old history and chases away winter, introducing spring.  And this year, we were there to witness it all.

The parade is filled with different kinds of music including Theban trumpets.

North Stradbroke Island: a place to fall in love

Back to Follow the Sun

When we first met, we were living in the same house in West End, Brisbane. We had been living together for two months and had a tradition of watching as many sunsets as possible together with our friends at beautiful locations in and around Brisbane. On the weekend of the 9th and 10th of February 2013 we all went to North Stradbroke Island.

Main Beach 4WD access

The second largest sand island in the world, “Straddie” as the locals call it is full of beauty, history and wildlife. Situated off Redland Bay, the island has many species of flora and fauna that are unique to the island and/or endangered. Not only is it a gorgeous island but the ride there is absolutely stunning.

Geraardsbergen: more than the first Manneken Pis

Back to Follow the Sun

This weekend we went on a city trip in Belgium. We didn’t go too far from Elien’s home town (although nothing is too far away in Belgium to an Australian) but we went somewhere that we both hadn’t been to before, Geraardsbergen. Famous for cycling, “the wall”, Manneken Pis, and its pastries, there is much to love about this town.

The city hall was built in the 14th century