It may have been a bit of an unusual Christmas, but then it has been a bit of an unusual year. And although we obviously both miss home on this particular day more than we ever have before, it has still been a very, very merry Christmas for the two of us.

Something you seldom hear about, incidentally, is that one of the things that makes the Acropolis so special is the view: perched atop a high plateau, it looks out at sprawling Athens on all sides and beyond that, at the twinkling Mediterranean Sea.

We experienced nine lovely weeks in Turkey, and it will undoubtedly remain one of our most favorite countries. And all throughout our travels in Turkey, we knew what was in store for us at the end of our nine weeks: that 24 hour bus ride from Istanbul to Athens. The words overwhelming dread come to mind.

Like Punta del Diablo and El Bolsón, Fethiye was a place that was very difficult to leave. We absolutely fell in love with our magnificent room and the quirky little harbor town around it, and saying goodbye to them was incredibly hard.

Patara is probably a wonderful place to visit during high season, when I imagine there are as many as four or five people there. In November, though, it's basically closed for the winter.