Istanbul Casserole and Izmir Pie

You know when they say “New York Minute,” it’s really fast? Well in Istanbul a New York Minute is roughly a bajillion times slower than an Istanbul minute. In Istanbul, the car behind you honks if you pause to let passengers out for 30 seconds. On any street, there are a hundred people walking straight at you, avoiding collision at the last second. Shop owners and owners of little stands call out “Yes, welcome, hello, lady, LADY!” All at the same time. I cling tightly to my purse because someone could snatch my wallet out in a millisecond. At any given time, there are probably 10,000 different noises going off, whether people are gibbering in rapid Turkish, cars are honking, or the tsssss of food on a hot grill hisses in my ear. Pair this with the absence of any empty space as people crowd the sidewalk, busses, subway, intersections, restaurants, and shop, and you have an Istanbul Casserole. I love it in a million ways, and yet at night when I try to sleep, I think, “Can a siren not go off for ONE MINUTE?!”

Now let’s take a look at the coast further south, with Izmir. Izmir has about the third the population of Istanbul, and it shows. On the boardwalk beside the bay, people are dotted here and there, and you have enough space to make an American Comfort Bubble (this requires a three foot diameter around yourself). Restaurants aren’t full to the brim and people seem to take things slower, like crossing streets when they're actually empty. Drivers still honk occasionally, but there’s not a constant, cacophonic chorus. You can see green grass on mountains in the short distant, not hills completely covered by buildings like in Istanbul. Izmir is like my grandma's cherry pie, just a few ingredients that meld into a sweet and tangy taste that you can savor.

I was amazed at how Izmir has ancient history and modernity all rolled into one just like Istanbul. Istanbul has countless mosques, museums, Roman and Greek and Ottoman sites (sometimes all in one space), and many other things older than several Americas. Izmir also had a whole ancient agora (shopping place), as well as artifacts dating back several thousand years. A rich history exists in both places in many ways.

While I love my Istanbul Casserole (bad name, I know, just roll with me here), Izmir and the journey to it were pleasant and a nice break for my brain. Istanbul provides a sensory overload, which is fun and exciting, but Izmir gave me a chance to lay back and wonder what I did with the bath towel I brought. Seriously, I think I left it at one of our hotels…oh well. Anyway, I was pleased to see another side of Turkey, and to be continually surprised by her many wonderful secrets.