A fully booked hotel and bountiful feast for the crowd in Iceland
Birna Mjöll Atladóttir, owner of Hotel Breiðavík in Iceland’s Westfjords, had been thinking about the eclipse for years.
Her anticipation began about 14 years ago, and preparations for the big day started in earnest last winter.
By April, she and her husband were getting ready to welcome the crowds expected to descend on the remote region, Atladóttir told CBC Radio’s As It Happens guest host Saroja Coelho.
The hotel is booked full, and the campground, which usually has around 100 people, had as many as 2,000 people to gather for the eclipse. Even her children, who have all since moved away, returned to help with the event.
That also meant preparing a very big menu — from Icelandic fish and lamb stew to soups and vegetarian dishes — to feed the crowds.
As the eclipse unfolded before her eyes, Atladóttir shared her excitement in real time, describing the scene as it happened.
“Oh my gosh, oh my gosh! It’s getting darker and darker. I wish you could see it!”
“People are screaming everywhere, it’s like we have wolves around,” she said.
“I’m grateful for my family, for my friends, everybody that helped me make this happen like it did today.”