Iceland's Westfjords, a total eclipse and DownieLive's weather gamble
Mike Downie's one upload chased totality north, and its comments became a swap meet of everyone's own eclipse memories.
DownieLiveStory of Why this story? The channel's weekly summary: what went up this week, what is drawing views now, and where the channel stands among similar channels.
I flew to ICELAND to watch the ECLIPSE
DownieLive, the self-described friendly Canadian YouTuber, flew to Iceland for a solar eclipse, and the one video he posted this week is the record of that trip. "I flew to ICELAND to watch the ECLIPSE" went up on September 27 and passed 80,000 views in six days, well over half of them on its first day.
Iceland is a bold place to bet on clear skies, and viewers noticed. One commenter, an eclipse chaser by their own account, explains choosing sunny Spain for the same event instead. Another points out that the long path of totality crossed a warm, road-rich country before teasing the Iceland pick as a big brain move. A few gently correct how dark totality really gets. Others are simply glad to see Riley back after a while.
Mostly, though, the comment section turned into something warmer: a stack of people's own eclipse stories. There is one from Southern Ontario, a 2024 driveway where the streetlights came on mid-afternoon and the birds went quiet, a Madrid balcony, and someone already planning an eclipse cruise in the Mediterranean.
The summer's longer journey is still pulling its weight too. Both halves of the Bangkok to Bali train series, from July and August, keep finding viewers, the first now past half a million. The channel as a whole ran busier than usual, close to 150,000 views a day. Among travel channels near his size, though, the louder weeks belong to Expedia and TayBrice, both running at roughly double their usual pace.
Published on Trari
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What viewers say
We got to watch a total eclipse a few years ago from our driveway in the US. I will never forget it. I was not expecting it to get as dark as it did. Everyone's dusk to dawn lights came on in the middle of the afternoon and all the birds and bugs went silent for the entire 3 minutes we spent in totality. It was unreal and something I hope my kids remember seeing. Such a crazy phenomenon!
@emilyboller7588See it on YouTubeI have seen two total solar eclipses from my front yard. It doesn't get less awe-inspiring the second time around. I can understand why people will travel for them.
@srslyawkward3095See it on YouTubeAnother neat things to watch for in a total eclipse is what the horizon looks like. If you're in a flat, open area (i.e. not the Westfjords), you can look in all directions and see bright twilight like just after sunset... because the areas beyond the horizon are all in full daylight.
@toddverbeek5113See it on YouTube
Public comments from the video's page on YouTube
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The videos drawing views on DownieLive right now
- Channel
- DownieLive
- Subscribers
- 1,230,000
- Channel views, last 7 days
- 728,098
- Videos published this week
- 1
- Video published
- September 27, 2026
- Video views so far
- 83,722
- Views on its first day
- 46,020
The numbers
Here is how DownieLive's week looks in figures.
💡 Test your knowledge
Iceland's capital, where many eclipse travelers land, is which city?
Reykjavík is Iceland's capital and largest city.
