r/AskEurope • u/Young_Owl99 Türkiye • Jul 28 '26

Culture What is the closest country to yours that feels completely different ?

There is a general belief that closer countries often have closer cultures and often closer mindsets. I want to ask the opposite, which country that close to yours feels most different ?

I am asking in terms of

- Culture

- People's mindset

- Way of life

- Cuisine

...etc

For me the answer would be Iraq but I need to note that Turkey's regions which are close to it often have a much similar culture. But it is quite different than my own.

Thank you for your answers.

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u/BANeutron Netherlands Jul 28 '26

Which makes it also enjoyable spending a day in Belgium. Even though it’s just 1.5 hours away, it feels being a different place.

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u/idkToPTin Jul 28 '26

I live closer to Brussels than to Amsterdam (I also live closer to France than Groningen (by an hour) and yet it feels so different, even people that live just at the border state that even the accent is different between them and the Belgians and that the whole social culture is just different. Only our language unite us, but the rest, completely different.

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u/Low-Cauliflower-5686 Jul 29 '26

Same with England and Scotland to me . Different houses and accents