My first (of many) Happy Things Friday posts from Europe.
It’s hard to believe that this time last week the kids were at school and I was madly dashing around our house (and our town) doing last-minute errands and tasks. And today… we’re heading to Vienna for a month.
After spending five nights in Munich.
It’s hard to wrap my head around!
But we are here, and we’ve packed lots of adventures into a few short days. Full disclosure: as a blogger (and generally someone who likes to overdocument everything), I already feel woefully behind. But today is all about Happy Things, so let’s get to it.
UNEVENTFUL JOURNEY
Of all the words I could hope to use to describe our relocation process, uneventful is perhaps the best possible option. There were zero flight delays, no one got sick, and our luggage arrived in one piece and fully accounted for.
WE WON THE LOTTERY
Literally.
We don’t actually play the official lottery, but a fundraiser for Indy’s soccer club involves selling tickets for weekly draws. Each player has $50 worth of tickets to sell. You can take them around to friends and neighbours, or you can buy them yourself and just put your own name in the pot. We opted for the latter.
Not only did we win one of the draws, we won the final draw — which was $400. So a $350 profit. Yes, please!
I was shocked!! And delighted <3
HIGHLIGHTS IN MUNICH
Can I admit to feeling a little overwhelmed by all our pictures already? This isn’t a complaint—just an observation that there has been so much to see. And we have a shared photo album, so between my photos, John’s, and now Belle’s (since she has her own phone)… eeks. It’s a lot.
But there are so many incredible pictures, and I am just in awe of some of the beautiful (and powerful—we visited the Dachau Concentration Camp) things we’ve been able to see.
HOT SHOWERS (AND SHOWER CAPS)
At the end of each day it has felt incredible to take a long, hot shower. I packed a shower cap so I don’t have to think about wet hair.
BONUS HAPPY THINGS
- Kids taking pictures. Both kids have been so enthusiastic about capturing photos (Belle has an iPhone, and Indy is quite content with an ancient Android phone with no cell capabilities).
- Grocery store food. Such a great way to save money along the way.
- Munich’s “honour system” for public transit. Somehow I did not come across this little nugget ahead of our trip: you buy your ticket and then… it never gets scanned. They do random checks (apparently in plain clothes), and there is a hefty fine for anyone caught without a valid ticket —but the ease of transport is extraordinary. You just… walk on and off all forms of public transit without scrutiny. Apparently this is part of a legacy from the 1972 Olympics. They developed more subway infrastructure for the event and, to avoid bottlenecks, opted not to install ticket scanners. 10/10 LOVE this (and apparently they estimate almost 97% compliance).
- One really great sleep. Having everyone in a single (thankfully large) hotel room is not conducive to the most restful sleep, but I had one night with almost 12 hours of sleep and it was glorious. The other nights have been significantly less successful.
- On that note, our hotel configuration is amazing. There’s a little nook for Belle, which has been great. We’re staying on the outskirts of Munich (though the town core is easily accessible by public transit) because the price literally could not be beat (€332.10 for five nights—we’d pay more than this back in Canada for sure). But the room surprised me. The configuration is excellent, the beds are comfortable, and being able to separate the kids has come in clutch (there have been… a lot of squabbles).
- My raincoat! Less than a week in and I have zero regrets about my purchase. It’s warm, it’s waterproof, and I think I will wear it daily for the majority of our trip.
- Free, clean public bathrooms. What a delight to find these along the way. One of John’s colleagues in Munich sent us some intel on the best public washrooms (a woman after my own heart), and we’ve gone to one place four times (Ludwig Beck department store, in Marienplatz, FYI). But the coolest bathrooms, by far, are the ones at the Mercedes-Benz cafe in Odeonsplatz.
- This picture. Belle and Indy had a hoot taking pictures on 0.5 (at least they were happy and giggling and not fighting for a change), and this one of me makes me laugh so hard. My sister, Belle, and a whole bunch of nieces have a group text chain, and I was laughing over it until I cried… so I couldn’t resist doing a little side-by-side comparison! Anyone else see the family resemblance?
- Blog friend suggestions. I get so many good ideas from readers! For example, I read a comment from Fiona and, a few hours later, was randomly walking by Julius Brantner and stopped short and told John we had to try something from their bakery. I can’t take action on every suggestion, but I sincerely appreciate each and every one and get so many ideas.
I have what feels like a never-ending post to write, but it is time to head off for the day.
Happy weekending friends.
Your turn.
- Tell me some Happy Things from your world this week!
- What’s your favourite food item to try on a trip?
Discover more from The Optimistic Musings of a Pessimist
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
