Tuesday 29 August

We decided not to lounge about too long at the hotel even though our flight was scheduled to be 50 minutes late setting off because of the previous day's chaos caused by 'a dodgy flight plan' crashing the air traffic control systems.

We set off for the Heathrow Long Stay T5 car park and did a number of circuits nearby because there was a crucial lack of signage at one point and because we were relying on the car park's post code on the SatNav which obviously covered an area larger than the car park itself.

But after four or so circuits we finally made it, found a space and headed for the shuttle bus stop.  We could see a bus waiting at the stop but we were sure he would leave without us.  It seems that he saw us coming and held back and we thanked him gratefully.

So we got to the terminal to discover that they wouldn't let us check in for a further 90 minutes- arrgh!

Elizabeth went walkabout to see what she could find by way of hospitality landside of the check in.  Usually there aren't any, but there was one rather nice place just behind the check in desks and we camped out there with breakfast helping us to while away the time until the clock ticked round.

The toast was very hard so needed a bit of softening!

Now Terminal 5 is still fairly new and it's high-tech so of course there are fewer staff and you have to do most checking in yourself.  We had already done whatever we could and had checked in online the day before while we were at McDonalds en route to our Heathrow hotel.

Nevertheless, you still had to scan your own passport and boarding pass, fix your own luggage label to your checked bag(s) and then say goodbye to your baggage hoping that you might see it again at the other end!

And through security we went and we were finally airside. So, with time on our hands because of the scheduled late departure, there was time for a look round the Harrods store (but alas with no stock of the only thing that Elizabeth wanted!) it was time to find another hostelry.

That scene was dominated by a massive Neverspoons unit with apparently no competition. We wandered around wondering about having a lounge stay, but having read recently that they aren't what they used to be with the hoi-polloi increasingly using them , we continued our search.

We eventually found a nice place where you could eat or just have a drink so we camped out there to use up some more time.

Finally our gate was showing on the board so we set off, only to find that we would have to use a transit train to get to the right place. There were two stops on the route and we of course needed the furthest one.  We all lined up where the doors would be.  Eventually a train arrived.  People all piled in but it was soon rammed full and we weren't on board.

I asked a member of cabin crew standing next to me if it as always like this and she thought that some of it was fallout from the previous day's chaos.  The next train arrived and we got on board.  Time was ticking on and we wondered if this was going to be another Malaga Airport experience - where we set off for the gate one it was announced only to find that by the time we got to the plane they were almost ready to close the doors!

But no, we got there OK and took a seat as requested.  Being plebs seated in the cheap, cattle class seats, we were the last group to board and we found our seats.  The seat configuration on board was a 3-4-3 and our seats originally allocated were E and F - in other words two together in the middle of the central four. What made it more mysterious was the fact that the one next to us on the aisle on one side was showing as available so we had changed it so that one of us could get into the aisle to release the other as necessary.

My absolute favourite aircraft type - the A380 Airbus

We got settled and others piled on board.  And we waited, and waited. Finally, some 70 minutes after the scheduled departure time we moved from the stand. Then we had the usual 30-minute tour of various taxiways of the airport before we finally left the ground.

Knowing we now had seven hours to occupy ourselves we started to think what entertainment we would use. We'd barely got started on that when the drinks trolley arrived and we had our usual two drinks each.  Elizabeth was offered either Gordon's or Tanqueray but was then told that they hadn't any of the latter.  I jokingly said that wasn't very good and the steward joked back that we really needed to use business class if we wanted that! No, not at those prices and I'm quite happy to let the first class and business class passengers to subsidise my seat price!

Now these planes are inevitably full of other people and there are typically two types of passenger that might be either in front of you or behind you. The one in front is the sort who reclines their seat without warning at the earliest moment and/or who love to flex themselves against the back of the seat. The other sort are the children who love the kick the back of your seat and, whether their parents notice it or not, it continues.  Now, it was the seat flexer that I had, such that if I were watching the screen it made me feel seasick!

It was a smooth flight, except that Elizabeth got into trouble. We had a slight touch of turbulence after a while and the seat belt lights went on.  The turbulence - such as it was - soon ended but the lights stayed on. People started using the toilets without comment so Elizabeth decided she needed to as well.  As soon as she stood up a member of cabin crew asked her to sit down as the seat belt signs were on. And there she sat while others continued to leave their seats to do all manner of things.

So it was that we arrived in a not very sunny Boston where we were asked to remain seated while they dealt with what we think turned out to be a minor medical issue with one young passenger.

So it was the trek to immigration to join the queue of 'aliens' - aka non-citizens, those with legal residence in the US or Canadians and we were seen by an officer, photographed (but no fingerprints or stamp in our passports this time), asked a few questions and then allowed to go.

So we looked for the hotel shuttle. No definite signs and the info desk was closed with only a TV set to key into to talk to someone - who never answered, so overall a poor experience. We started asking around and someone said we had to go upstairs.  Only one escalator - which was broken - and a lift with a queue a mile long.  I shinned it upstairs to see that it wasn't going to be there anyway and got back downstairs just in time to stop Elizabeth getting into the lift with all our bags.

We went outside again and found a couple who were also looking for the hotel bus and dragged our cases to where they were. Elizabeth spotted the bus parked in the mid-stream of traffic and we got on board. Not a big bus, it was soon full and off we set.  Well, it's only two miles to the hotel, but it took a while and we went to reception, hoping that our names would ring a bell with them.

They did and we were in.  Room 606 it was and it was the usual standard hotel room, a bit dated, but at a price to make UK hotels look cheap!

And so, at 9.30pm local time (or 0230 in the UK) we finally hit the sack in our third bed in 3 nights.