Am I crazy???

[bigdeg]

 Hello all. In my mind "HERE I GO AGAIN"!!! Well, this trip to kiev will make all 7 continents I have been too, even Antarctica (well I never got to land but walked on some named ice shelf).
 Yea, leaving for Kiev on March 3 for 28 days and I am so unprepared it is way past funny!!! Did not take the time to learn the language, have read a little about Kiev and finding a wife over there. A little background...
 I am 45, and spent 6 years in the navy, and travelled around a little right after that for work. I have been a member of this board (though not active) for years between AW. I was always taken with how the Asian women treated there men, but a few years ago I was working with a man that had gone to Moldavia years earlier and married. His wife was a great lady that wanted (even made me promise) for me to go to eastern Europe if I ever looked for a foreign wife. Well, I am serious in I am going to marry in the next couple years, TILL THEN this will be a good vacation.
 No hotel reserved (though I will probably book one before), no plans (other that the Cossack Center) the only glimmer is a lady in Lvov Who I have been talking too may meet me in Kiev.
 LET THE FLAMING BEGIN (I know how this board works) , On the other hand...If any of you men want to give suggestions, I'm all ears .
Dale

[Boethius]

I'm not a man but first, it is L'viv, not L'vov (which is Russian, and L'viv is the epicentre of Ukrainain nationalism, though as a foreigner, you would be forgiven for the faux pas).  Second, I suggest you book an apartment, rather than a hotel, for your stay.  Not any pricier, and far more convenient.

[Faux Pas]

So folks are planners and some folks, ain't. No crime there bigdeg. Flying on a 28 day trip by the seat of your pants isn't the dumbest thing you are anyone else has done. I did pretty much the same thing on my first trip to Russia. I would however familiarize yourself somewhat with the language. Just the basics, hello, goodbye, thank you, you're welcome and bathroom. That is easy enough to do online. Also, I 2nd what Boe said, forget the hotel, rent a flat. You'll save a few bucks and be glad you did

[AC]

Hello all. In my mind "HERE I GO AGAIN"!!! Well, this trip to kiev will make all 7 continents I have been too, even Antarctica (well I never got to land but walked on some named ice shelf).
 Yea, leaving for Kiev on March 3 for 28 days and I am so unprepared it is way past funny!!! Did not take the time to learn the language, have read a little about Kiev and finding a wife over there. A little background...
 I am 45, and spent 6 years in the navy, and travelled around a little right after that for work. I have been a member of this board (though not active) for years between AW. I was always taken with how the Asian women treated there men, but a few years ago I was working with a man that had gone to Moldavia years earlier and married. His wife was a great lady that wanted (even made me promise) for me to go to eastern Europe if I ever looked for a foreign wife. Well, I am serious in I am going to marry in the next couple years, TILL THEN this will be a good vacation.
 No hotel reserved (though I will probably book one before), no plans (other that the Cossack Center) the only glimmer is a lady in Lvov Who I have been talking too may meet me in Kiev.
 LET THE FLAMING BEGIN (I know how this board works) , On the other hand...If any of you men want to give suggestions, I'm all ears .
Dale

No flaming here, I say congratulations for having the balls to make the trip.  If it isn't going well I would suggest getting out of Kiev, as it does have a reputation for pro-daters.  I've not been there (yet) but I've heard Kharkov is a great city and you can get there via high speed train from Kiev.  You could have one of the Ukrainian translator/guides from that city meet you at the airport.

I second the recommendation from others to get an apartment as the cost is less and you have a small kitchen and living room included in the price.

Good luck and welcome to the forum!

[AkMike]

Book an apartment if you're going to be in one spot for more than a few days. Much better prices than hotels and they generally come with pots and pans. They're everywhere.

[Larry1]

LET THE FLAMING BEGIN (I know how this board works) , On the other hand...If any of you men want to give suggestions, I'm all ears .

I think you'll find the forum a more congenial place these days.

About suggestions, AC made one that you might take up.  Since you will have a month in Ukraine you might decide to visit another city in addition to Kiev.  Lviv is beautiful and is only a fairly short train ride from Kiev. There is an express train that will get you there in only five hours. There is supposed to be a high speed train that gets you there even faster.

Regarding lodging, I would usually echo the other folks' advice and suggest renting an apartment rather than a hotel room, but I've seen some astonishingly good bargains on hotel rooms over the last months. You might check expedia.com.

If you go the apartment route I suggest contacting PartnerGuestHouse to see what apartments they have available.  With apartments you'll usually have full-size refrigerators and a washing machine.

I hope you enjoy your trip and let us know how things went.

[mendeleyev]

I think that members can give you some legit apartment links.

One, but not the only one, is www.airbnb.com

Hope you enjoy the trip!

[BillyB]

 No hotel reserved (though I will probably book one before), no plans (other that the Cossack Center) the only glimmer is a lady in Lvov Who I have been talking too may meet me in Kiev.
 
Dale

Go for an apartment in Maiden, the center of Kiev. You may find a cheaper place further from the center but you lose time and money having to use a taxi or subway to go do the tourist activities.


I skimmed over your posts to get a read on where you're coming from. You mentioned a few years ago about traveling to Ukraine to see a girl. Things didn't work out with the girl? You also said you weighed 500lbs. Did you have to buy two seats on the airplane or did you try to squeeze into one? Just kidding, I read the post after saying you were kidding.

[cc3]

Hello, bigdeg! I am a happy and devoted resident of Lviv, therefore I write with a lot of positive favoritism for my adopted hometown. I have traveled through much of Ukraine and have never experienced a more pleasant Ukrainian urban environment than that in Lviv. My first exposures to Ukraine were Krym, Donetsk, and Luhansk...so I had nowhere to go but up from there! I have spent time in Odesa and Kyiv as well. When you see other Ukrainian cities, you get a feel for what Soviet life must have been like. Lviv has more of a central European feel, a la Vienna, Prague or Krakow. My fiancee, a Russian speaking former resident of Luhansk, and I are fairly captivated by this delightful city.

Travel-wise, there is a nonstop Lufthansa flight to Munich five days per week, and the high speed train to Kyiv is an easy five hours, operating twice a day.

No experienced visitor to Ukraine uses hotels. The flat rentals for one day, one week, or one month are very plentiful. My favorite flat rental website is dobovo.com. Check it out! There are very reasonable flat rentals in the center of ancient and historic Lviv, near Rynok Square.

[BillyB]

Lviv has more of a central European feel, a la Vienna, Prague or Krakow. My fiancee, a Russian speaking former resident of Luhansk, and I are fairly captivated by this delightful city.

Lviv is a beautiful city and if bigdeg hasn't bought the tickets to Kiev yet, he should bring up the idea of visiting the lady's city of Lviv. One benefit is that he would be able to see her in her environment and possibly see how she lives at home. If she's really into bigdeg, he might meet her family and friends. Meeting in Kiev takes that away.

[bigdeg]

 Thanks for the comments everyone, Good info. If the lady does meet me in Kiev,  then her hometown will be on the agenda, if not then I will probably stay a couple days in Kiev, then Lviv or Odessa. But I do have 28 days, and at the very minimum a good vacation will come of it, the best outcome would be a lady to revisit in a few months.

[BillyB]

If the lady does meet me in Kiev,  then her hometown will be on the agenda, if not then I will probably stay a couple days in Kiev, then Lviv or Odessa. But I do have 28 days,

A month to roam around the country sounds fun. If it doesn't work out with the #1 lady, it's easy to introduce yourself to ladies on the street or cafes and set up dates with them. Mamba.ru is a good place to find ladies in any city in the FSU. Pay attention to the news on Odessa before going there. I believe it's on Putin's to do list.

[Shadow]

28 days is a bit much for Kiev should the meeting not be followed up with a trip to het home town.
Stay in the Westers part of Ukraine, there are great cities there and you will avoid the conflict area.

Be sure to keep thinking with your big head, due to current politics and economy there may be a lot of women who would leave with any man and see what option they have later.

[Jumper]

Good luck!

I seat of the pants trip can be just fine, its all about your attitude in doimng so

and like others have already stated
forget the hotels..  rent a flat , rent a flat,  rent a flat.
there are almost too many reasons to list why its a better choice..