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PARTY! Most of Europe invited ---

© Diane Goldberg under the original topic name

Hey, guys, on August the eleventh a huge show happens --- we won't see its like again until 2090 and it is absolutely free. Millions are expected to attend ---- crowds larger than any concert, theatrical event, or military coup. In fact, only wars, which are generally agreed to be no fun and not the goal of budget travelers, attract a larger or more mixed crowd.

For two minutes and six seconds on August the 11 a solar eclipse will entertain the masses. Starting at dawn off the coast of Nova Scotia the event will be fully visible, weather permitting, for a 75-mile wide strip. Traveling approximately 2000 miles per hour the eclipse will cross the Atlantic and arrive at Land's End in Cornwall around 11 AM. If it is a clear day or a clear few minutes, some visibility will extend as far north as the Scottish Highlands.

Land's End Hotel has reportedly been fully booked for this date since 1992. Folks have booked an eclipse flight on the Concorde at a price hovering close to two thousand dollars to chase the celestial event. So many people were willing to pay the premium price that two Concordes will eclipse chase. Package tours to spotting sites in France and Austria sold out months ago. Over half a dozen cruise lines will be anchored in Falmouth Bay giving passengers a view of the event.

Rumor has it that homeowners in Cornwall have been getting outrageous amounts out of eclipse conscious renters for the week.

In less than three minutes the event that will spawn countless traffic jams on the A30 and A38 truck routes into England's West Country will pass though Alderney in the Channel Islands and on to Le Havre in Northern France as well as Paris.

Leaving Paris the eclipse will continue a whirlwind tour of the continent with several sites in the Austrian Alps expecting prime visibility. According to NASA, Paris, Munich, Vienna, and Romania will have clear skies.

From Europe, the eclipse will travel across Turkey before venturing across Iran. According to weather forecasts the Iranian deserts have the best possibility of excellent eclipse viewing --- clear skies and broad visibility are expected. Those of us who are geographically excluded from seeing the eclipse at all can be forgiven if we snicker and giggle a little at the idea that Iran may have the best views. Iran is not a major tourist destination.

The Line of Totality --- the 75 mile wide strip where the eclipse will be total --- will pass over India and Pakistan before slipping into history at dusk above the Bay of Bengal.

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