JapesUK

On a subsequent pilgrimage to the afternoon tea station, in pursuit of another of those irresistible sausage rolls, a culinary revelation caught my eye—a jacket potato oven, discreetly positioned against the back wall, a detail that had eluded me during my initial foray. Intrigued, I engaged the ever-charming attendant overseeing the gastronomic spread. To my delight, I discovered that among the treasure trove of toppings was pulled pork drenched in BBQ sauce—a revelation that upended my previous assumption that all these accompaniments previously pictured were merely nacho allies



Rest assured, T5B has now secured its spot as a must-visit sanctuary in my travel rituals, a pilgrimage I'll eagerly undertake whenever the transit gods grant me the luxury of sufficient time.

JapesUK

After a delightful hour soaking up the serene vibes of the satellite lounge, I decided it was time to migrate back to the First Lounge.

My reasons were twofold: firstly, the lounge's exit is conveniently a stone's throw from my departure gate, and secondly, I had a rendezvous to keep. Earlier in the week, I'd reached out to one of the BA forum's luminaries, KARFA, as I had noticed on BA97 that our schedules had serendipitously synced up, allowing us a brief but enjoyable meet-up. Delays permitting, we're poised for a longer chat tomorrow, fingers crossed.

JapesUK

The moment had come to take the brief trek to gate A19, and in a turn of events that shocked absolutely no one, the announcement came through that boarding would be delayed. The culprit? Our flight crew's tardy arrival from Dublin.




Boarding eventually got underway right around when we were supposed to be jetting off, with a tidy twenty-minute delay tacked onto our departure time, which felt about par for the course. This time around, I snagged seat 1D, a strategic choice promising minimal jostling from fellow boarders.

Our steed for today's journey is G-EUUH, a familiar bird I last encountered on a flight from Bucharest to London back in November. As boarding draws to a close, it seems we might actually be on the verge of departure. Here's hoping we're airborne sooner rather than later!

JapesUK

This particular voyage doesn't leave much in the ledger of memorable moments. I had opted for the Muslim special meal, which, in a culinary plot twist, turned out to be the same chicken salad served to the rest of the cabin, just with a more modest dessert portion. However, a bit of improvisation transformed it into a rather scrumptious chicken roll!




The crew this time around was firmly in the realm of the mundane—service was a hit or miss affair, with some passengers being doted upon with nuts and refreshments, while others found themselves embarking on a quest to flag down these offerings. The wardrobe became a character in its own right, its door refusing to stay shut and enduring a saga of slams and forceful nudges to keep it in line.

Mercifully, the flight was on the shorter side, and whatever time we lost on the ground, we clawed back in the air, touching down almost precisely on schedule. A small mercy for which I was grateful, all things considered.

JapesUK

The Crowne Plaza is just a hop, skip, and a jump from the airport, though I'd advise treating Google Maps with a pinch of skepticism on this one. Swing a left upon exiting the airport, navigate the tunnel leading to car rentals, and voilà, a second tunnel emerges, heralding your near arrival at the Crowne Plaza. From there, it's merely a minute's stroll across the turning circle.



The digital postman from IHG had already brought tidings of an upgrade from a queen standard to a king premium room, which was pleasant enough. But the check-in desk had another ace up its sleeve—a further promotion to a club room with club access. The only sting in the tale was my impeccable timing, missing the canapés and drinks by a whisker, just five minutes late. Such is life—sometimes the buffet giveth, and sometimes it taketh away.

JapesUK

The room turned out to be quite the charmer, decked out with all the trimmings and not a single gripe from yours truly.






Bags unceremoniously dropped, curiosity led me to the club room, which, to my surprise, was devoid of any human presence—a ghost town with better furniture. Amidst the quiet, I did manage to liberate a bag of haggis and black pepper crisps because, let's face it, resistance was futile in the face of such a uniquely tempting snack.

JapesUK

After briefly turning into a roving photographer around the reception, capturing the ambiance for posterity, I made my way back to the bar, drawn by the siren call of social interaction and, let's not forget, the IHG offer of a free drink or points.






The choice between liquid refreshment and virtual currency was, needless to say, a no-brainer. I now find myself perched on what has affectionately been termed 'the social seat' at the bar, strategically located in the epicenter of conviviality right in front of the till.





It's at this juncture I must tip my hat to the staff at this establishment, from the reception to the bar, who've been nothing short of exemplary in their friendliness and willingness to engage in a bit of banter. The young lady at reception deserves a special mention, not only for her hospitality but also for her insider tips on where to score some local stovies and butteries tomorrow. Top marks for service!

VorelNaCestach

This sounds like my trip to ABZ 🤣. Did you get some points too?
Hopefully your breakfast will be better. They didn't have the usual breakfast spread, just the one from the menu.
Take 727 (or was it 747) bus from the airport to the city centre. You may have the whole bus just for yourself.

JapesUK

Hi, yes 600 points just mysteriously arrived

Thanks for the tip on the bus and fingers crossed for the breakfast, I do have two options, there’s also the club continental offering

JapesUK

Having treated myself to a glass or two of Belgium's finest concoctions, the pre-slumber munchies made their timely appearance. Reflecting on the previous night's culinary triumph in the form of chicken wings, I felt it was only just to give Crowne Plaza a shot at the title. Their buffalo wings stepped up to the plate with gusto—delicious, indeed, but they stopped short of reaching the fiery pinnacles of spice and heat that had set yesterday's wings apart.




As I pondered aloud the great dessert dilemma, teetering towards a 'no', the server played their ace: the legendary prowess of their cheesecake. I, a mere mortal in the face of dessert persuasion, folded instantly. And thus, the cheesecake was summoned, marking perhaps the world's easiest upsell.



The cheesecake emerged not just as a dish, but as a victorious symphony of flavours! Beside a sphere of tart sorbet, interwoven with chocolate and strawberry notes, lay the star of the show: a cheesecake so perfectly creamy and rich, it sat upon its buttery crust like a king upon his throne. As a connoisseur of the dessert realm, with my adventures well-documented for any who follow my culinary chronicles, I can confidently place this masterpiece shoulder to shoulder with the finest desserts I've had the pleasure of meeting this year.

Toula

Hmm ChapGPT has an interesting take on your "voice". Out of curiosity how much quicker does Chat knock out the TR vs when you do it manually?

JapesUK

At a rough guess it’s taking twice as long, maybe more, for each post. I have to give the AI more to work with. I think I trained it with too much Bryson

SKT-DK

Funny idea, JapesUK and it is interesting to see how the AI language is rather different than how one would normally write
I can imagine that you are having to feed it with quite a level of detail in order for it to come out at this level.

Following your (or well, the bot’s ) report as usual!

JapesUK

Roused from slumber at the ungodly hour of 2 AM by nature's insistently ringing bell, I found myself embroiled in a nocturnal battle for sleep that dragged on till nearly 5 AM, at which point I managed to capture a fleeting hour and a half of elusive, restless slumber. Conceding defeat to the sandman, I figured I might as well seize the day, or what was left of the night, really. The view from my window offered a tranquil scene of Aberdeen airport, its stillness almost persuasive enough to lull me back to sleep—if only!

JapesUK

The breakfast buffet, while checking off the basic prerequisites of a standard continental offering, left much to the imagination—surprisingly sparse, it fell short of expectations.







On a brighter note, the hot food, prepared on request, did proudly feature haggis among its selections, a nod to local culinary traditions.