Istanbul or Kyiv

[ponyo]

Looking for new cities to visit. Anyone been to one or both cities? I like cheap places with good food. I'm assuming Istanbul has better food than Kyiv?

 

[highland145]

Oh, another @Exterous travel shaming thread.

 

[ponyo]

Exterous is baller. I can't compete with him. He flies Business or First Class while I fly cattle class. And he stays in luxury Hilton suites while I stay in cheap AirBnB or roach motels. And he takes pictures with some fancy $5k camera while I take pictures with my cellphone.

 

[KMFJD]

Istanbul , there's probably a couple of nice things to see/do in Kyiv but nothing like Istanbul

Turkish food is delicious , Ukrainian food is a bit cheaper

Full Cost of Living comparison Istanbul vs Kyiv.

Cost of living in Istanbul (Turkey) is 58% more expensive than in Kyiv (Ukraine)

www.expatistan.com

 

[ponyo]

Never mind. It's easy decision now. I just checked the average temperatures in Kyiv for November through April and it's way too cold there.

 

[Exterous]

Exterous is baller. I can't compete with him. He flies Business or First Class while I fly cattle class. And he stays in luxury Hilton suites while I stay in cheap AirBnB or roach motels.

Hey now - I still fly economy to Europe and within N America and the hotels range in quality

And he takes pictures with some fancy $5k camera while I take pictures with my cellphone.

But yeah thats probably true if you total the lenses, extra batteries etc we usually travel with

I've not been to either of those cities but would be interested to read about your trip if you feel like sharing!

 

[dainthomas]

Just the history of Istanbul would make me want to go there. I'm a sucker for Roman history. Hagia Sophia and the Theodosian walls would be my first two stops.

 

[ponyo]

Hey now - I still fly economy to Europe and within N America and the hotels range in quality


But yeah thats probably true if you total the lenses, extra batteries etc we usually travel with

I've not been to either of those cities but would be interested to read about your trip if you feel like sharing!

I'm just itching to go somewhere. But my daughter is the wildcard. She doesn't really care to travel and is studying for the SAT. She complained that we're always going somewhere during her school breaks so she's tired and just wants to stay home.

 

[clamum]

I think both would be cool and full of history (granted you mentioned food, not history, rofl), but like you said I'd opt for Istanbul this time of year. F the cold!

 

[ponyo]

I think both would be cool and full of history (granted you mentioned food, not history, rofl), but like you said I'd opt for Istanbul this time of year. F the cold!

I love history and both cities have it in spades but I love food and people watching. And I love bargains. Not really shopping so much but bang for buck value. Which is why Eastern Europe appeals to me whole lot more than Western Europe. US dollar is extremely strong right now against both Ukrainian Hryvnia and Turkish Lira due to all the economic/political problems/uncertainties in both countries. US dollar is up like 400-500% in the past 10 years against both currencies so you get lot of bang for buck. I remember traveling to Thailand and South Korea right after the 1997-1998 Asian Financial Crisis after the Thai Baht crashed and the IMF "bailed out" the region. Things were crazy cheap and I had the time of my life in both countries. I was young and single with lot of money back then so things were little different but best time to go to countries are when there are some economic/political turmoil IMO.

 

[brianmanahan]

i heard constantinople is nice this time of year

 

[zinfamous]

Istanbul because food

 

[kage69]

Much as I love Turkish cuisine, I wouldn't go there now.

Putting aside the issues of traveling during a global epidemic, giving money to those trying to start war with Armenia and who continue to undermine NATO seems dumb. Right now trumptards of Turkey (Erdogan Ejits?) are waging a war of intimidation and persecution on Armenian communities there. Being a visitor from a non-muslim country, which also happens to be the global covid19 hotspot, strikes me as a good way to get people in your face.

I love Turkey, but have no interest in returning if Erdogan is in charge. Fuck that guy.

 

[MrSquished]

I was in Istanbul and Cappadocia some years back. And I went there as a Greek Cypriot and we don't have a great relationship with Turkey historically, but Istanbul was fascinating. The food was pretty good, but not mind blowing. I couldn't find a doner kebab that made me do a happy dance. Culturally and politically, this is before they converted the Hagia Sophia into a mosque, for example. I would never go now, as the poster mentioned above, due to Erdogan. Pandemic or no pandemic.

 

[ponyo]

I'm not traveling anywhere because of Covid. But I will visit Istanbul, hopefully sooner than later. I have to take advantage of the strong dollar vs lira. $1 USD is equal to 8 Turkish lira right now. That's amazing value. US dollar has almost tripled in value against the Turkish lira the past 5 years. Turkish Airlines flies direct nonstop from Atlanta to Istanbul.

I don't care about the politics. I would travel to Cuba and North Korea if I could.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Just stay away from the Saudi embassy if you value your fingers.