Gold club lite

Every metro train here has a "gold club" car, followed by a "family" car, followed by however many "standard" cars. We have mostly travelled in the family car, although I don't know why because this isn't Moscow or London or DC or Cairo or Rome—Doha has one of the lowest crime rates in the world. The likelihood of getting harassed or assaulted or pickpocketed on the train in Doha is virtually nil. 

But the first time we rode the metro here everyone directed us down to the family car, so...that's where we sat and then, as creatures of habit, that's where we continued to sit. 

The children—particularly Phoebe—have been staring at the "gold club" car with quite a lot of longing (perhaps even with a tinge of coveting). You see, there are two chairs at the front of the "gold club" car, through which you can see out the window and down the metro tunnel and that is very exciting. 

Sure, there are windows on the side of the train, but it's really so dark that you can't see much of anything through them (so they're a little disappointing—our friends went to a Harry Potter themed restaurant and were telling us that the windows of the train cars were screens that showed scenery passing by...perhaps the metro also needs these windows).

Here are the kids staring into the gold car, wishing they could use those seats. But a ride in the gold club car costs a whopping 10 QAR (while standard fare is 2 QAR...which is only like $2.75 compared to 55 cents...which is still honestly a good price for a metro ride...but you also have to buy a gold club membership and...anyway...we just keep telling Phoebe no):

I was talking to Andrew about Phoebe's wish to ride in those seats at the window while we were coming home on the metro from the library together last week and he said, "Oh, those seats? The last standard car has those seats as well."

They do? Well!

On Thursday night we went to Suq Waqif using the metro (it was our first time getting on the gold line!) and as a special treat, we purposely headed to the very last "standard" car and boarded there. There was a man sitting in one of those seats, but when he saw the children all bouncing up and down and squealing, he offered to move so they could use both seats (which was so kind). 

They loved getting to watch the tunnel unfold before them (or collapse behind them...technically we were moving "backwards" from this point):

We only went two stops, I think, on this train, and then had to get up and switch for another line and when we did another family with several young kids piled into the seats after us. "Thank you! Thank you!" the children all cried. So apparently we're not the only ones excited about this.

Our desired seats were already occupied on the next train, so we just stood in the aisle until those riders got off and then sat down to enjoy another short ride with the window view before making it to our final destination.

What lucky kids!

(I have a feeling this is going to be a "thing" while riding the metro for the next little while...but at least I might not have to listen to Phoebe whine about not getting to ride in the gold car. See, Phoebe—I do want you to sit in the very front/back seat and look out the window!)