It's official. Sofia has two metro lines!!

I don't think it's going to change my life much but still, we've got two lines <em>and</em> the lines connect.

Yesterday, A. and I decided to go for a coffee. He met me in Mladost and we took the metro to Nadezhda--a stop on the newly opened line--for coffee.
<a title="Me on the new Sofia Metro line by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7905414914/"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8439/7905414914_5dc1482b69_z.jpg" alt="Me on the new Sofia Metro line" width="640" height="488" /></a>
The metro was hopping. I guess that's to be expected. It did<em> just</em> open. I've actually never seen so many people on the platform or on the metro during non-rush hour times.

It was great fun to see. I especially liked the people standing by the train doors and popping their heads out at each stop to look at each stop. They were doing this of course because each stop is different. The colors of the tile work, the benches and the walls change depending on which stop you're at.

Riding the metro in Washington DC was never this much fun.

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The new stops are, well, so shinny, clean and new.

Not all off the trains are.
<a title="The Sofia metro line two by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7905414106/"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8313/7905414106_0e406f641f_z.jpg" alt="The Sofia metro line two" width="640" height="480" /></a>
The transfer point is Serdika. The first Serdika stop looks fairly shabby in comparison to Serdika II. I just didn't really think about it when I was in the metro yesterday so I failed to take a picture of the older stop to serve as a point of comparison. Sorry.

My one complaint has to do with signage--or it's lack there of. (This, however, seems to be one of my general complaints in this country.) Anyhow, there could be better signs on the platform to point passengers towards the transfer point for each line of the metro.
<a title="Serdika II--the new line by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7905411988/"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8456/7905411988_f1ea4db2f3_z.jpg" alt="Serdika II--the new line" width="640" height="480" /></a>
When got off the train at Serdika from Mladost, it wasn't obvious exactly where we should go to transfer to the second line. This meant that we stood on the platform looking around for signs while other riders who were not transferring sighed heavily because we were in the way.

On our way back from Nadezhda to Serdika it was less confusing because for us we just had to back the way we came. Still the only sign that I actually saw pointing towards the other line in Serdika II wasn't on the platform but up a set of stairs which wasn't all that obvious or easy to read from the platform where the train lets you off. Sure you have to take the stairs to transfer but I think this a kind of silly place for the sign and not exactly user friendly for people unfamiliar with the Sofia metro.

Oh well, I guess it's sort of like the fact that at the turnstiles to enter the metro if you're right handed you have to reach across your body to put your ticket in or swipe your card or else the turnstile arms one over from where you are standing will open.  The good news is that now I am used to taking the metro and I can always get into the metro (sometimes, it's the little things). I will say that I never find it any less annoying.It just doesn't make sense nor does it feel natural reach across my body to make the turnstile open.

After our coffee, we went to the Mall. We did a little shopping and then we saw the newest Bourne movie. I thought the movie was good. It has some serious action scenes. This said, the series is clearly now set-up to spin out forever and ever. A. said that he liked it too but that he also liked watching me cringe during the action scenes.

Then we had sandwiches at Subway. You know, in honor of the metro opening today.