One Point Istanbul

Istanbul is a city that is go go go and never stops even at night, while Izmir is much more of a relaxed city. The difference between Istanbul’s 20 million citizens and Izmir’s 4 million citizens makes the distinction clear. However, the aspect of this difference that shocked me a lot was that Izmir has a much younger population. Normally I think of younger people as moving faster and wanting to get ahead first, but I supposed when you have 20 million people running around some are old and some are young and they all just blend together. Izmir is on the coast of the country, while Istanbul is actually connecting the European and Asian side of the country. Istanbul having so many connections in commerce and culture makes it very unique. So far from what we have seen I have enjoyed Istanbul more I think because it is so fast paced and there is so much to do everyday. There is so much rich history in both places, but I am more interested in the Mosques and the Churches over than the ruins here in Izmir. This is not to say that Izmir is not amazing, because it is beautiful along the coast and then the ruins from Greek times are also amazing. So it really is hard to choose one over the other.

However, I think the fact that Istanbul was the first place in Turkey that we went to and we spent about eight days there made me fall in love with it. Because the culture and people are so different than anything that I have ever experienced before in my life, it captured my attention and is still holding it. Istanbul seems to have no countryside, while Izmir has much more rural areas and locally grown food and products. Although I know around 4 million people populate Izmir, it is much more spread out than Istanbul and seems like more of a smaller town than a city. For example, today we stopped on the side of the road and bought freshly picked strawberries and crab apples, and olive oil, from a family selling it on the side of the road. To me, that gives off much more of a small town feel. Of course I enjoy being on the coast, which is something that Istanbul cannot offer in the same way. But because so many bodies of water surround Istanbul you still get the coastal feel. There is just something about the pace of Istanbul that keeps my heart rushing and wanting to see more. In Izmir, the pace is slower and much more relaxing.

So yes, I have clearly picked that Istanbul is my favorite of the two although I hate to do that! The people in Istanbul are so diverse and always moving, yet so hospitable. So although, from the election it seems that Izmir is more current with the growing democratic country, it may just be that in Istanbul there are too many people. Too many uneducated people that do not know if AKP or CHP will be better for their country, so they vote for what they know instead of for change. Either way, I am excited to see different places in Turkey throughout the coming days. Then of course I will be delighted to go back to Istanbul and to explore more of the city that I may never have the chance to experience again!