Travel to Athens/Istanbul in December

>>1172528
What exactly are you worried about, in terms of safety?

>>1172641
this is more about Turkey than Greece, but she read the warnings on the State Department's website concerning travel to Turkey and was concerned mainly about their warnings. ie. avoid large crowded areas like most tourist areas, kidnappings, etc.

She is aware of the attempted coup that took place recently and also the proximity of the current conflict in Syria and is questioning how safe it would be for western tourists. i am more of the adenturous type of 'let's see where the wind takes us.' both of us had our minds set on these two cities for this trip, but now she wants to look at options.

>>1172528
Athens is 100 times safer then New Orleans. Istanbul is only half as safe as Athens but still 50 times safer then New Orleans.

>>1172528
I too wonder this, especially the grand bazaar, it looks like a great place to just wander around and look at all of the cool little stuff vendors are selling. But also a prime hotspot for pickpockets.

>>1172649
I'm aware of the state department warning. I don't take it very seriously, though. If you want to see the big sights, go and do it. Don't loiter around and of course if you see something suspicious, immediately go in the opposite direction.
Istanbul is generally a lot safer than the rest of the country. Don't stray too far into the west and you'll be fine in Turkey.
t. Turkish diaspora

>>1172528
I'd like to say you're worrying about nothing, but there are credible security concerns in the region

there have been a spate of terrorist attacks in turkey targeting millitary, government and tourist areas
most notable was the bombing of attaturk airport, but there have been smaller attacks fairly regularly
all you can do is avoid loitering near embassies, police stations and public transport

petty crime directed at tourists is very low in istanbul compared to just about everywhere, the turkish police take a hard line.
but outside the tourist areas and on the city outskirts you can run into some trouble, as well as theives not all locals are friendly and might harass women who arn't wearing face coverings, people drinking alcohol etc (more common I believe on the asia side)
there isn't anything to see outside the tourist areas, so it probably won't be an issue at all

there are also a lot of refugees/illegals in the city, but they are just unlucky people; some beg, most don't
few steal etc

on the whole how dangerous is it?
it's all relative, more dangerous than Europe or nice parts of america; but I'd still consider it fairly safe

>>1174370
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHrI4Qjhmyc

vid related

a proud democracy, american ally. they yearn for freedom, and they celebrate equality and democracy

it's totally safe

>>1174372
haha public perception might shift, but a city is usually just as safe the day before an attack as it is the day after

bad things do happen, in some places more than others
bu you have to look at the hard facts, not the media hype

a bomb that kills one person gets a thousand times more coverage than a random stabbing for instance

but now that I think about it, istanbul just had a coup attempt and is locked down by the police
thowsands of anti-governmet figures are being rounded up and imprisoned
media blackouts exist in many areas and news orginisations are being frequently raided

I would probably pass on turkey ATM

>>1174376
yes, I'm sure the fact that a few hundred people congregate to kill a person really just actually shows the loving and kind spirit of the people

I mean, people are SO hateful in norway, which is why HUNDREDS of people gather in norway to recreationally tortute people to death, right?

the large number of people who do this with zero opposition in no way reveals basic attitudes of the people. it's all just media hype

>>1174378
no need to get all /pol/ about this

but yes, istanbul is dangerous at the moment

>>1174380
I'm not getting all pol

it's a fact. people with nice dispositions do NOT gather together by the hundreds to torture people in public.

jesus fuck.

torture and nice are mutually exclusive. this isn't hard. the more people get together to do this, the less nice as a whole a group of people is

this isn't media spin. this is basic logic

the more people emphasize studying, the better grades they'll get. te more people emphasize murder, rape, and torture... go on, what do we get more of? you can answer the question, without media hype needed.

>>1172528
I went to Istanbul 2 months ago. Is perfectly safe. Lots of armed police and undercover cars. Ice cream at the topkapi palace is very tasty.