The Optimistic Musings of a Pessimist - Page 6 of 107 -

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Cardiff Catchall: Roath Park, National Museum Cardiff + Time with Rachel!

I’m never quite sure what to do with random photos and stories from half-day adventures. So, today you’re getting a smorgasbord from our time so far in Cardiff.

We’d been in the area for less…

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Stockholm Day #2: Vasa Museum, Train Station Art Gallery, Ferry Ride

After a delicious breakfast (the hotel’s spread was the best I’ve ever seen—the Best Western Royal Star), we headed off to explore Stockholm. I’d purchased timed tickets for the Vasa Museum at 11 am,…

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Overnight Ferry to Sweden + Day #1 in Stockholm (Gamla Stan + Ghost Tour)

For the first time in my life, I spent the night at sea!

The cheapest way to get from Helsinki to Stockholm ended up being an overnight ferry. I had mixed feelings going into it…

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On My Shelf: Books Read May 2026

I didn’t like the layout/graphics I’d been using for book posts this year, so I’m pivoting! Hopefully the result is a bit cleaner and easier to read.

In case you’re interested in other months: January,…

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Jun, 15, 2026
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An Adventure in Wales: Visiting Big Pit National Coal Museum with Rachel

We had a fairly tight turnaround after getting to Cardiff: we arrived Wednesday evening and headed off early Sunday morning for our last travel-heavy adventures (John and Belle to Paris/Amsterdam; Indy and me to…

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A Long Weekend in Helsinki: Our Favourite Places + Itinerary

This will be my final post about Helsinki!

It feels like a fitting way to wrap things up because I’m going to give you a photo-heavy (hopefully text-light?) rundown of what we did when my…

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Edinburgh Day #2: National Museum of Scotland, Dean Village, Circus Lane

After a busy first full day in Scotland, we were happy to see the sun shining when we woke up at the start of our second and, sadly, final day in Edinburgh.

We’d originally…

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