The Chap Olympiad... Then I think I might go to Canada

Posted on 2012/07/16 22:46:51 (July 2012).

[Saturday 7th July 2012]
I had been looking forward to the Chap Olympiad for months - and this year it was a two day event as well - so was rather disappointed when I'd found out I was going to have to go on a business trip to Portland (by way of Vancouver), which, given the rather oppressive pricing policies of airlines, would mean having to leave Saturday early evening, and actually missing most of the event.

The Chap Olympiad officially starts at 12 (although it was closer to 12:30 by the time we got in) and my flight was around 5, so I ended up only being able to stay for a couple of hours. Despite it being far too short I did really enjoy the brief time I was there, and it was also nice to be joined by Kyle and Hannah this year (although Chie, after last year's washout, decided not unwisely to give it a miss). Of course it rained again for some of the time this year - that seems to be pretty much compulsory.

I was there for the opening ceremony and the first few events - including gentleman's golf, the swooning event, butler baiting and not playing tennis. It was all pretty much the same as it had been last year and yet still highly enjoyable.

Rather pleasingly as I left the grounds of the Olympiad, one of the people on the gate asked "Are you coming back?" to which I replied "No, I'm going to Canada". Almost a Fawlty Towers reference there.

I met Chie en route to the airport, who came to wave me off. I got to Heathrow around 4, and as I was flying BA and had been upgraded to First made a very brief visit to the Concorde Room (the First class lounge). Didn't really have long enough to appreciate it before finding out my colleagues had already moved on to a different lounge nearer the gate. I got there just in time to meet them as they were heading for the plane.

I can't say I was particularly impressed by First class on BA, if I'm honest. On boarding, the cabin attendant decided to try and be jovial, and I was greeted with "Would you like some fizzy wine from France, or some water filtered through a peat bog in the Peak district?". I enquired as to what the "fizzy wine from France" was exactly, to which he helpfully replied "Champagne". "Yes", I replied as patiently as I could "...but which Champagne is it?". He said "I should know that shouldn't I?" to which I thought yes, you probably should. He came back a moment later with the bottle of Laurent Perrier Grand Siècle and pronounced it "Grand Seashell". Oh dear.

On top of that the seats were really old and tatty, and the entertainment system wasn't on demand, it was that now laughably old fashioned multi channel system, where you end up only ever being able to watch two thirds of any given film.

The food menu was also rather nauseatingly filled with Olympics references - including the wines which had been chosen "because they'd won gold and silver awards". Although the actual food itself was perhaps the only saving grace of the otherwise pretty naff overall experience. Asparagus ravioli which was actually reasonably well cooked and had a decent flavour to it, followed by a rather impressive chocolate fondant for dessert. I should have taken a photo.

It was about a 9 or 10 hour flight to Vancouver, and the time zone difference confusingly meant we landed, in local time, only about an hour or two later than we'd taken off. So we then had the evening in Vancouver ahead of us.

After taking the train from the airport to the centre of Vancouver, and checking in the hotel, I made the mistake of joining my colleagues for a walk to the waterfront, which, although quite pleasant, meant by the time we'd finished most restaurants seemed to have stopped serving food (at only around 9:30). In particular there was a vegetarian Chinese place I'd wanted to go to. So we had to settle for a slightly naff meal in the hotel bar instead. I guess having eaten reasonably well on the plane I wasn't particularly hungry anyway.

Butler baiting? You have to enlighten me there.
"Grand Seashell"! There goes French! (sob)

Posted by Sheri at 2012/07/18 05:48:07.

Judging from the pictures, it looks like the organizers plagiarized a chapter or two from the "upper class twit of the year" contest. Did you bring your Jeeves, John?

Posted by Sheri at 2012/07/18 05:57:32.

Yes thinking about it now it is very like that Monty Python sketch! I certainly remind myself of it every time I wear that hat.

As for my own Jeeves - alas no it seems increasingly unlikely I'll ever have my own valet!

Posted by John at 2012/07/22 21:47:07.

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