Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey, Ankara (the capital) is the second, and Izmir is the third. Izmir has the second largest port, behind Istanbul. With Istanbul and Izmir both on the coast, and being very large cities, one could speculate they would be pretty much the same. You would be very wrong.
Izmir is described by those who live there as having a much slower way of life. The constant hustle and fast pace life of Istanbul is not found in Izmir, and the locals like it that way. The political landscape of Izmir is also much different. There you will find strong supporters of CHP and a strong resistance to AKP. It also helps that Izmir was the birthplace of the founder of Turkey, Mr. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, who founded CHP as the first political party in the Republic.
Personally I love the pace of life in Izmir and, if I were not a tourist, I would settle there over Istanbul. I like that people know their neighbors really well and I imagine the stress level much lower. Along with being very traditional in family and community life, I like how progressive and secular the city is. Izmir is also large enough to have plenty to do when you feel like it and beautiful scenery to go along with it.
As a tourist, and someone who loves big cities, I do adore Istanbul. It is rich with history and culture, and there is never a dull moment. That said if you don’t know how to make yourself slow down you can feel constantly drained. If the rest of the world stopped, Istanbul would keep on turning. Nothing can slow down the people of Istanbul. It doesn’t matter what day of the week it is or even if it is a holiday people are always in the streets, shopping, getting coffee, going to hookah (okay, that is a nice pace of life), or they are out at the bars.
Both cities are wonderful, and great for their own reasons. I think seeing both shows a dramatic difference in city living, and also among the Turks themselves. They are friendly everywhere, some just enjoy moving a little more slowly and taking their time.
1 comment:
I enjoyed reading your blogs about my country. Your observations are very accurate and impressive. Thanks for taking the time to write about Turkey. I would like to point out something; In your blog, you wrote that Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of the modern Turkish Republic, was born in Izmir. He was born in Thessaloniki, Greece (when it was an Ottoman city) in 1881.
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