İzmirians would never give up their freedoms

I was born in the Aegean port city of İzmir and lived there until I was 17. But, for the next 17 years, I lived in Istanbul. Naturally, I was evolved from an İzmirian living in Istanbul to an Istanbulite who was born and raised in İzmir. Thus, I am able to see my hometown with an outsider's eye. 

Last week, we were in İzmir with daily Hürriyet's "Explore with Hürriyet" travels. I was a tourist in my hometown for three days. I was able to observe my city as an outsider. My feelings were that the crises, the chaos, the fear, the concerns, the fights, the uproar and the clashes Turkey has been undergoing all around have been blocked in this city. It was as if some people have put fences around the city and this sentiment that has grasped the entire country was not allowed into İzmir. This stormy weather was not able to infuse İzmir; that whirlpool did not swallow the people of İzmir.  

There are certain values that the city has lost, of course, but respect has never left the city. This is actually what makes the city so attractive and livable.  

In the streets and avenues designed for pedestrians, respect is everywhere. People salute each other even though they have not met before, they do not walk looking down, they do not avoid eye contact; they smile.

 Drivers do not honk continuously to relieve their stress; cars allow pedestrians and motorcycles to pass first. 

İzmir has also, like almost all cities in Turkey, spread to the outskirts of the city in concrete waves. But the city center I was born and raised in is exactly like I left it. The names of stores have changed, but the buildings are the same; they have yards and balconies, windows with Mediterranean-type shutters, streets with many trees, wide sidewalks… As a...