An Eclipse Evening | Ostend

To experience the total solar eclipse on 12 August 2026—including the moment when daylight suddenly fades, and the world falls into an unusual twilight—you had to travel to the narrow path of totality crossing Greenland, Iceland, northern Spain, and a small corner of Portugal.
We stayed in Belgium, where almost 90% of the Sun was covered. We watched from the large balcony of an apartment on the 27th floor of the Sky Tower, with eclipse glasses, a nice bottle of wine, and an unobstructed view over Ostend and the North Sea.
As the Moon slowly moved across the Sun, a long golden reflection appeared on the water. In the apartment building opposite us, other people had also stepped onto their balconies to watch. Even with almost 90% of the Sun covered, the remaining light was still surprising. We did not experience the darkness of totality, but watching the eclipse from this location was already quite something.
​Afterward, we stayed on the balcony as the city lights came on. The eclipse was the reason for our visit, but the view over Ostend and the Mercator marina during the blue hour was a welcome bonus.