I joined a knit-a-long where you knit a gnome every month. It’s a lot of fun so I thought I’d share my gnomes with you.
Friday, December 5, 2025
2025 Year of Gnomes
Thursday, December 4, 2025
Traveling Home From Zurich
We were given the option of putting our suitcases in the hall at 5:30 am or bringing them to the lobby ourselves by 6 am, so we decided to do it ourselves. This was much better because I was able to put all my last-minute things in the suitcase. When we got to the lobby, there was a breakfast bag that included a stuffed pretzel with butter, an apple, and orange juice. The pretzel was very good! At 6:30, we boarded the bus and were taken to Terminal 2. A bunch of us were going to Philadelphia. After we checked our bags in, we had to go through security. Then we had a long walk to find our gate.
While we were waiting, I saw a couple that we had seen on the ship, but I really didn’t get a chance to talk to them much. I don’t think we ever had a meal with them, so I asked them where they were from. When she told me that they were from Greenville, SC, I asked them if they knew my friends Dick and Kathy. These were the people that Kathy told me to look for when we were on the cruise! I can’t believe we had been on the same cruise and never connected until we were on our way home.
The flight to Philadelphia during the day was much easier than a nighttime flight. The middle seat is really cramped, but I was able to watch movies. I stayed away the whole 8 ½ hour ride. Going through the Philadelphia airport was very nice and went smoothly. We had to go through Passport Control, pick up our luggage, walk them through to another place, check our luggage back in, and then go through Customs. Then we walked almost a mile to our gate to get the plane to Palm Beach.
The 3-hour flight to Palm Beach went smoothly. After we got our luggage, I texted Donna. She said Bob, and she was on the way. We got home just before it started raining really hard.
After we unpacked, we went to bed. By this time, we had been up for 24 hours.
Original photos by Pat Hensley
Wednesday, December 3, 2025
Zurich, Switzerland Day 2
We spent the night at the Radisson Blu hotel at the Zurich airport. The room is so dark that we had to use a flashlight to see in our suitcases. We went to the breakfast buffet at 6:30, and it was nice. There were only seats for about 40 people, and there were 176 of us. No one mentioned that there was another dining area around the corner. Everyone at dinner was complaining about how dark the rooms were.
At 7:45, we were in the lobby to get ready to board the buses. We were driven to downtown Zurich on a scenic route with nice views. Then, when we arrived in Zurich, we had a walking tour. It was cloudy when we started, but it rained on and off while we were walking. Those who didn’t want to do the walking tour could return to the hotel.
At the end of the tour, we were given three options. We could return to the bus and go back to the hotel. Or, we could stay in town and take one of the shuttle buses back at 2:30, 4, 5:30, or 8 pm (the meeting place for this shuttle was not very clear, though). Or, we could take a train or Uber, or taxi back to the hotel. We chose to go back to the hotel.
We walked to The Circle again and had lunch at McDonald's (I didn’t find out until I saw my credit card transactions at home that the total was over $25 USD!). Then we went to Migros (the supermarket/department store) where Don bought more chocolate. After that, we returned to our room and repacked our suitcases. I was able to call the front desk and ask about weighing our suitcases. When we took them to the front desk, a girl took us to the back (maybe a loading dock) and let us weigh our suitcases. Don’s suitcase was 19 kg, and mine was 17 kg. American Airlines allows 22 kg. So we are okay.
Original Photos by Pat Hensley
Tuesday, December 2, 2025
Basel and Zurich, Switzerland
It was pouring down rain this morning! We boarded buses at 9 am and headed for our tour. We arrived downtown Basel at 10:15 am and had a one-hour tour. It rained the whole time, but we got some free time to have lunch and shop. We found a store to buy some chocolate. After exploring around town, we found a McDonald's for lunch. We also went to the department store, Pfauen, to use the bathroom and found a wonderful eating place on the 5th floor, but we had already eaten. We were back on the bus by 1:45 pm. It took about 90 minutes to drive to Zurich, and a lot of us took a nap.
We arrived at the Radisson Blu hotel, which is right in the Zurich Airport. It was a little chaotic, and we weren’t given much instruction about how to get to our rooms. After we were given our room keys, we dropped our stuff off in the room. Then we went exploring. We could have taken a 5 pm shuttle to town, but we would have had to wait until 8 pm to come back. Instead, we found out that we could go to the Circle and find lots of food. We found a food court (with McDonald's, KFC, and other places) as well as a grocery store. After eating dinner, we went to the grocery store for some Coke Zeros and more chocolate. When we got back to our room, our luggage was there, so we could get comfortable and relax. The only TV channel I could find that spoke English was the BBC News channel, and I was able to put on the closed captions.
Original photos by Pat Hensley
Monday, December 1, 2025
American Cats
Collectors loved these stamps because they highlighted the special qualities of each breed. For example, the Maine Coon is known for its long fur and friendly nature, while the Siamese cat is famous for its blue eyes and chatty personality. The Manx is easy to recognize because it has no tail, and the Exotic Shorthair looks like a Persian cat but with shorter fur. These stamps helped show the diversity of cats and reminded people how much joy cats bring into our homes.
National Cat Lovers Month is celebrated every December. It’s a special time for people who love cats to show their furry friends extra attention and care. Cats have been our companions for thousands of years and are known for their playful, curious, and independent personalities. During this month, cat owners might buy new toys, share cute photos, or donate to animal shelters. It’s also a great time to learn more about how to keep cats healthy and happy through good food, regular vet visits, and lots of love.
Many animal organizations use National Cat Lovers Month to help more cats find homes. Shelters often hold adoption events and share stories about cats waiting for families. People who already have cats can celebrate by spending more time with them or teaching them fun tricks. Whether you have one cat or many, this month reminds everyone how special cats are and how much joy they bring into our lives.
References:
Cat stamps from the author's collection.
Mystic Stamp Company. “U.S. #2372-75 1988 22¢ Cats.” https://www.mysticstamp.com/Products/United-States/2372-75/USA/
Linn’s Stamp News. “1988 22¢ Cats Stamps.” https://www.linns.com/
National Today. “National Cat Lovers Month – December.” https://nationaltoday.com/national-cat-lovers-month /
Cat Fanciers’ Association. “Celebrating Cats All Year Long.” https://cfa.org/
Sunday, November 30, 2025
Strasbourg, France
We got off the ship at 8:45 for our tour of Strasbourg. There were five ships in this port, and some of them were docked side by side, so passengers from other ships had to go through other ships to reach the shore. The bus ride to the town was about 15 minutes, and we walked around the town. Our guide took us to a free and clean restroom near the Cathedral. Unfortunately, we couldn’t go inside the Cathedral because it was Sunday. The architecture of the Cathedral was very ornate. We also went by St. Thomas church, where Mozart played, and Albert Schweitzer also played the organ.
The guide told us this story that parents tell their children about how babies are made:
The stork is sitting above a hidden lake. When a parent wants a baby, they go to a well and yell down the well, saying they want a baby. This wakes up the old gnome. The old gnome takes his net and tries to catch girl or boy souls in the lake. Girl souls are harder to catch than boy souls. When the old gnome catches one, he gives it to the stork. If the parents put a piece of sugar on their windowsill, the stork will deliver a baby to them.
Around noon, we headed back to the boat and had lunch. Darryl from Abiline, TX joined us (Beth, Barb, Betty, Don, and me). He told us about Grand Circle Travel, which we want to check out. After lunch, we went back to our cabin to pack, and then it was time for Afternoon Tea. After tea, we went back to our cabin to finish packing.
After dinner, we went back to our cabin. We have to have our suitcases outside our cabin by 6 am.
Original photo by Pat Hensley
Saturday, November 29, 2025
Speyer, Germany
Today, when we got off the ship, it was below freezing, and there was frost and ice everywhere. They even announced a warning about how slick it was outside and to be careful. At 9 am, we took a bus to Speyer and had a walking tour. We went into the cathedral, and it was pretty. Someone said we were doing an ABC, standing for Another Bloody Church! This made me laugh. Then we walked around town. We passed a phone booth for children to call Santa Claus. They talk privately in the booth and teel what they want for Christmas. It is recorded and the next day, it is written in the newspaper so parents can look for their child's name and age and find out what they want for Christmas.
We had an hour after the tour to go shopping. Barb, Beth, and another lady from Pennsylvania joined us as we explored. Then we all took the bus back to the ship. We heard Elliot talk on the phone that another cruise ship had lost 2 of their guests and was looking for them.
After lunch, we returned to Speyer on a bus at 2 pm. It was a 20-minute ride to the town from Germersheim, where we were docked. As we were walking, we came across another yarn shop and I just had to buy yarn! Then we found a store that sold mittens that reminded me of the thrummed mittens I had knit for Don. They were so nice and warm that I bought them. At 5 pm, we took the shuttle bus back to the ship.
At 6 pm, Elliot talked about the disembarkation procedure. All that information was very overwhelming! Our orange tags were waiting for us in our cabin, along with instructions about the day we leave. At 6:30 pm, he gave a port talk about Strasbourg, France, where we will visit tomorrow.
For dinner, we joined Barb and Beth (from Lebanon, PA) and Joyce and Myron (from Canada), and we had a great dinner. We really enjoyed talking with all of them!
Original photos by Pat Hensley
After lunch, we returned to Speyer on a bus at 2 pm. It was a 20-minute ride to the town from Germersheim, where we were docked. As we were walking, we came across another yarn shop and I just had to buy yarn! Then we found a store that sold mittens that reminded me of the thrummed mittens I had knit for Don. They were so nice and warm that I bought them. At 5 pm, we took the shuttle bus back to the ship.
At 6 pm, Elliot talked about the disembarkation procedure. All that information was very overwhelming! Our orange tags were waiting for us in our cabin, along with instructions about the day we leave. At 6:30 pm, he gave a port talk about Strasbourg, France, where we will visit tomorrow.
For dinner, we joined Barb and Beth (from Lebanon, PA) and Joyce and Myron (from Canada), and we had a great dinner. We really enjoyed talking with all of them!
Original photos by Pat Hensley
Friday, November 28, 2025
Mainz, Germany
We met our tour group at 9:15 am and had a walking tour of the old city. 80% of the city was destroyed in WWII. The market, which is held 3 days of week, was occurring and there were a lot of people in town. We went to the Guggenheim Museum, which was held at the Museum of Natural History since the original museum was being renovated. We got a demonstration of how the press worked, and we saw four of the original Bibles that were printed. After the tour, we went to 2 yarn shops and I bought some yarn.
Around noon, we returned to the ship for lunch, and it was very slow, but eventually we finished lunch. Then we walked back into town, and we stopped at the department store where we bought 2 boxes of chocolate-covered cherries: one with vodka and one with wild punch. Don also bought some wild peach rose wine. We walked around town and enjoyed seeing the architecture.
Around 6, we had a cocktail party and then a port talk. For dinner, we sat with Jayne and her mom, Betty (Charlotte, NC), and Barb and Beth (Lebanon, PA). We had such a great time talking with them! After dinner, Jayne invited us up to their room to see what a verandah suite looked like. It was 2 rooms, where one room was the bedroom and the other room was a sitting room. The sitting room had a balcony that you could sit out on, and the bedroom had a French balcony (door opened, but no room to sit).
Original photo by Pat Hensley
Thursday, November 27, 2025
Koblenz Germany
We finished breakfast early, and since we didn’t have to meet for our tour until 9 am, we got off the ship and wandered a little. We walked to the big statue of Wilhelm I at the German corner. It was an impressive, huge statue! The corner is where the Moselle River joins the Rhine River. We went through 19 locks to get here.
At 9 am, we met our tour guide, Michael, who retired from the German army, and he was a fabulous guide. We walked around the old city of Koblenz, which had been 99% destroyed in WWII. The cutest thing we saw was the rolling eyes clock, where the eyes of the face move constantly. On the hour, the tongue sticks out! We also liked the thumb statue! Barb took our picture, and then we took a picture of Barb and Beth at the thumb. Later, we exchanged picture,s which is much easier than trading phones.
After the tour, we had 90 minutes to explore, so we went back to the Omas Kuchen and bought 6 cupcakes. The guide recommended this place, and it looked delicious. Then we went to an arts and crafts store where I found some yarn! The 100g balls of yarn were wool, cashmere, and nylon for 13 euros each! I picked one, and I had Don pick one so I could make us more socks.
We got back on the ship in time for lunch, which seemed to take a long time. Then we bundled up so we could sit on the sun deck as we sailed down the Rhine River. At 2:30, Elliot was going to narrate what we were seeing. Jayne and her mom, Betty (from Charlotte, NC) sat with us. The wind made it so cold up there, but we had beautiful views of the castles on each side of the river. Eventually, I went and got our bath towels to put over our legs. I tried to knit, but my hands got too cold. At about 5 pm, it got too dark to see anything, so we went to the lounge to hang out. I was able to knit the heels into my socks.
At 6 pm, Elliot gave his port talk and talked about future cruises until dinner time. I enjoyed having my rib-eye steak for dinner. At 9 pm, we went to the lounge to hear a duo playing medieval music on the bagpipes and drum. I was so tired that as soon as we got back to ur cabin at 10:30, I went to bed!
Original photos by Pat Hensley
Wednesday, November 26, 2025
Cochem, Germany
It was really cold when I got up in the morning, and my watch said it was snowing. Yet, when we started the tour, it was just cold and rainy. The tour guide, Silvia, said that it only snows about 5 times a year, so I guess this morning was one of them!
The Imperial Castle was very old and was almost demolished by Louis XIV in 1689. Then Louis Ravene bought the castle in 1866 and renovated it. It took 10 years to renovate it, and he only lived in it for 2 years before he died. In each room, his initials, LR, were hidden somewhere in the room. There was a witch’s tower that was one of the only things not demolished by Louis XIV, and legend is that a witch protected it.
After the castle tour, we went to a wine tasting in another town, and it was fun. We had 2 glasses of Riesling wine and a red vinegar peach aperitif. After the wine tasting, we returned to the ship in time for lunch. In my rush to get on the ship to use the bathroom, we forgot to scan our cards, so during lunch, they asked that a couple of guests from specific rooms report to guest services. Imagine my shock when I heard our cabin number called. I left the table and ran to the check-in scanner, where they scanned our cards.
After lunch, I took a shower while Don went to the sun deck and watched as we sailed down the river. At 3:30, the captain showed a video about how the ship operates. Then we were able to go to the wheelhouse and walk inside. There were 2 groups, and I was in the first group, and Don was in the second group. While he was in the wheelhouse, I stayed on the sun deck and was able to watch us go through the lock. After that, we sat in the lounge until it was time for Elliot to give his port talk.
We were docked in Winnigen, and people went on a wine tour after dinner, so I thought we would go ashore to visit the town. But after dinner we went up to the sun deck to look at the town, and it was really dark, so we didn’t see anything that we wanted to go ashore.
Original photos by Pat Hensley
Tuesday, November 25, 2025
Trier and Bernkastel
Trier is Germany’s oldest city and is full of Roman ruins. Before breakfast, we walked out on the deck, and there was frost everywhere. We had a delightful breakfast and then met for our tour at 8:15. We took a bus to a church and started our tour. It was very cold! A lady with another group had slipped and hit her head, so an ambulance was called. We saw a lot of nice architecture, and luckily, our tour guide was a retired architect. We also saw the childhood home of Karl Marx. The highlight of the tour was the Black Gate, known as Porta Nigra. Then we had 45 minutes of free time, so we walked around the town. We visited a department store that had four floors, but it was quite warm. When we met back to get on the bus, we heard the lady was okay and would return to the ship.
When we got back to the ship, we had lunch. I had curried cauliflower soup, penne pasta, and a chocolate chip sundae. It was delicious. While we were at lunch, our ship went through a lock, and it was fun to watch it out of the dining room window. We were only inches from the wall on each side!
After lunch, we went up to the lounge and hung out for the afternoon. We saw the beautiful countryside full of vineyards as we traveled down the Moselle River. I knitted on my socks while I visited with Jane and her mother, Betty (from Charlotte). Then we sat and visited with 2 ladies from Pennsylvania, whom we had lunch with. At 4:45 pm, Elliot gave a talk about Bernkastell and tomorrow’s visit to Cochem.
At 5:30, we got off the ship in Bernkastell and walked around the town. Most of the stores were closed, but we found the pointed house (Wider on top than on the bottom). We also so the castle way up at the top of the mountain, but we didn’t go to it since it was dark. We got back to the ship around 6:30.
We had dinner at 7:15 and sat with Patty and John (Denver, CO), Judy and Mike, and Dell and Randy (Albany, NY)
Original photos by Pat Hensley
Monday, November 24, 2025
Reims Cathedral, Luxembourg Cemetery, and the Viking Herja
We had to get our suitcases out in the hall before 6 am. I woke up at 5 am and fell back asleep. Thank goodness, I set my phone alarm and requested a wake-up call at 5:30. We put our suitcases out and went to breakfast at 6:00 a.m. At 7:40, we went to the lobby to identify our suitcases. Once we identified our suitcases on the sidewalk, we were allowed to board the bus.
We had a 2-hour bus ride to Reims, where we got a tour of the cathedral. It was a beautiful cathedral. The weather was very windy and very cold! After the tour, we had time for lunch, but when we tried the bakery, we would have had to sit outside. Instead, we decided to hit McDonald's. The food was served in reusable plastic containers. After that, we stopped by the bus to get our gloves and for Don to get his knit cap. We had 30 minutes to explore, but it started to rain and sleet. At 1 pm, we found Elliot, who told us that we could go to the bus. We had a 2 ½ hour bus ride to the Luxembourg American Cemetery, and we saw where General George Patton was buried. We had a 30-minute stop here and then headed to the ship.
We arrived the the Viking Herja in Trier at 5:30. We got on the ship and a crew member escorted us to our room (104). Our suitcases hadn’t arrived yet, so we went up to the Viking Lounge for a drink, and at 6:30, we had the Welcome Aboard speech. There are 54 crew members for the 176 passengers. We met the senior officers and told them what to expect for dinner and the safety talk. Then we had the port talk before we headed for dinner.
At dinner, we sat with Dell (attorney) and Randy (nurse practitioner) from Albany, NY, and Jack (geophysicist) and Wendy (opera singer) from California. I had a rib-eye steak, and Don had mahi mahi. For dessert, we had creme brulee.
When we got back to our room at 9 pm, we found our suitcases and we unpacked. It was a really long day!
Original photos by Pat Hensley
Sunday, November 23, 2025
Paris Day 2
We went to breakfast at 7 am, which was held on the 1st floor for all Viking guests. There were those getting off a cruise and those starting their journey. The food was excellent, and I had an omelet made to order.
At 8:15, we met in the lobby for our Panoramic Paris tour. Millie was our tour guide. One couple told me that their dad got a headset to use over his hearing aids, so I got one for Don, but he never used them. Instead, he took out one hearing aid and used the QuietVox earbud in that ear. He said it worked well. Millie was an excellent tour guide. 35 of us gon on the tour bus and we saw the highlights of Paris. We saw the Arc de Triomphe (but the Champs Élysées was closed due to a 10K running race), the Louvre, the Grand Palais, the Petite Palais, the Pont Neuf, and Place de Concorde. Then we stopped at Notre Dame and went into the cathedral. It was absolutely beautiful! We had gone to it about 20 years ago, and it is much cleaner and brighter now since they cleaned and renovated it after the fire. We also had a photo stop at the Eiffel Tower. We returned to our hotel at 12:30.
Then Don and I put on some warmer coats and went to a bakery for lunch, where we ate some quiche. Next, we went to the train station and bought a 1-day pass for the public transportation (12 euros for the pass + 2 euros for the card each)
We took the RER C train to Notre Dame. Then we walked to the Louvre and saw where the robbery actually took place. Then we walked all the way down the Gardens of the Tuileries to the Place de Concorde. We walked through the Christmas market, which was very crowded. Then we took Metro 1 back to the hotel since it was getting dark. We stopped and ate a sandwich charcuterie at the bakery where we had lunch. We walked about 7 miles.
At 8 pm, we watched the Eiffel Tower sparkle and it was beautifu1!
Original photos by Pat Hensley
Saturday, November 22, 2025
Traveling to Paris
I woke up at 3:30, and my husband woke up at 5. It could be because we both were excited about going on our trip. Our wonderful neighbor, Donna, took us to the Palm Beach International Airport at 8:30. Our flight wasn’t scheduled to leave until 12:19 pm, but they say if you are going on an international flight, you need to be there 3 hours early, so we were. No lines or hassles while we were getting through security.
I met a nice lady whose son is a teacher in Philly and works at the school where my online friend is the principal. It was really neat to find the connection!
We had a 4-hour layover in Philly, but by the time we got off the first plane, went to the restroom, ate a bagel, and got to our boarding gate (which was almost a mile (20 min.) from where we got off the first plane), we only had a 90-minute wait.
It was almost an 8 ½ hour flight to Paris, and we arrived at 8 am on 11/15. We went through customs and got our luggage. As soon as we walked out of the airport, we found the Viking representatives. 4 of us were brought to our hotel (Hyatt Regency Paris Etoile).
We went to the Viking table and met our cruise director, Elliot, who was very welcoming. He gave us information and told us what to do next. We learned how to pronounce our ship's name, which is Herja, but pronounced Herrier.
Even though check-in wasn’t until 3 pm, they had a room available for us. We dropped off our stuff and then headed out to explore. We walked to the Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower. We stopped at McDonald's for a snack. We had to stop by our room so I could call our credit card company. I forgot to tell them that we would be out of the country, and our credit card was declined at McDonald's. Once we got that straightened out, we went exploring again. We also stopped at Epic (the supermarket) for some things to take back to the room. Thankfully, my credit card worked fine. By 5:30, we were exhausted since we had been up for 32 hours. We went to bed early!
Look forward to our Viking excursion tomorrow.
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