The Optimistic Musings of a Pessimist

Top Five/Bottom Five: Germany/Vienna Edition

I haven’t done a Top Five/Bottom Five post in a while and I thought I might as well break the drought with something relevant to my current state of mind.

We’ve officially spent three weeks…

Top Five/Bottom Five, Euro Adventure, Munich, Travel, Vienna
Mar, 30, 2026
32 Comments

Bratislava (Slovakia) Day Trip from Vienna: Best Things to Do in One Day

In an effort to not get too behind in recaps, I’m posting twice in one day!

One of our goals while living in Europe is to capitalize on just how easy it is to move…

Travel, Euro Adventure, Slovakia, Vienna
Mar, 29, 2026
16 Comments

Random Little Updates (AKA: Potpourri)

I rarely start a post, write conversationally, and immediately post it. I tend to draft, step away, come back to edit, and then schedule it for some specific future time. (That probably tells you…

Travel, Euro Adventure, Personality Insights, Random
Mar, 29, 2026
51 Comments

Come on In: A “We’re Leaving for Europe” House Tour

People always seem interested in seeing house pictures, and I’ve been meaning to post about a topic Engie mentioned MANY MONTHS ago (only partially successfully, I will add) which is to ask what’s in…

Life, Home, Organization
Mar, 28, 2026
23 Comments

Happy Things Friday: 27 March

It’s a cold, snowy (!), rainy weekend here in Vienna. To be fair, this is our first truly miserable weather since arriving in Europe and I feel like we’ve mostly dodged a springtime bullet.

Honestly,…