Chapter 32 - Tomorrow, We Are Going Sightseeing
Chapter 32 – Tomorrow, We Are Going Sightseeing
At London airport.
Aria pushed her luggage trolley outside the airport. Mason walked right beside her, taking quick glances at her secretly every few minutes. Her colleagues followed behind them, expressing their relief on finally landing in London. The long flight had made them restless and tired.
Aria looked at awaiting people at the departure gate. She had been informed by the management that someone from the conference committee would definitely come to pick them up. She searched among the people for some signboard or an indication. After searching for a while, she finally found the person she was looking for. He was standing at the left corner with a board held high. The board in his hand clearly read: Regal Medical Hospital, Country P. She directly walked towards him and gave him a smile.
"That's us. Regal Medical Hospital, Country P."
"Welcome to London everybody. My name is Stuart Lee. I will be your assistant and guide during your stay in London." The man's cheerful voice immediately boosted everyone's energy. He looked quite young, maybe a university student. He was quite tall and lean and was dressed casually in dark blue jeans and a white shirt. He had the innocence and charm that could make people turn their heads and admire him.
"Shall we proceed, milady?" Stuart asked in a perfect British accent which made Aria laugh.
"Sure. Mr. Lee. Lead the way." Aria tried to imitate the accent, but failed miserably. The other people in her group laughed at her attempt.
Stuart gave her a cheeky smile on listening to her. "Follow me."
He then led them towards the minibus in the parking lot. He put all their luggage in the luggage cabin while the others got on the bus. After making sure everyone had boarded the bus, Stuart too got in.
"Hey, guys. This is Kaito Tanaka. He will be your driver during your stay." The driver waved at the group and gave them the answer beforehand to their unasked question. "I am Japanese."
All of them nodded their heads together.
"Kaito will also be your guard. So, don't worry you will be safe." Listening to Stuart's words, everyone had a doubtful face as Kaito looked so small and innocent that he couldn't even kill a mosquito. Stuart took a look at everyone's doubtful face and continued, " Don't go by his appearance. He is a master in Karate and Taekwondo. Listening to him all of them clapped, while Kaito bowed on being applauded. After all the introductions, the minibus started to move towards their hotel.
After an hour of driving, Stuart turned towards his guests.
"Ladies and gentlemen. Shortly we will be arriving at the hotel where you will be staying. Freshen up as early as possible and meet me in the dining hall. I have to give you updates on the events at the conference."
The minibus stopped in front of a magnificent hotel. The passengers stepped out of the bus and gaped at the hotel, The London Bridge Glory, in front of them. It had a traditional touch to it with a neoclassical style. It so beautiful and classy that it blew away the visitors' minds.
Stuart cleared his throat to gain his audience's attention. "The interior is much better." He said with a wink.
All their luggage had already been taken out of the bus by then. The group then proceeded to enter the hotel. As Stuart had said, the interior was marvelous. Stuart started to tell about the hotel, successfully gaining everyone's attention.
"The London Bridge Glory was built in the year 1968 under the supervision of British architect, William Wayne. This hotel has sixteen floors. There are totally 368 rooms in the hotel and seven presidential suites. The presidential suite lies on the last four floors and has the best view of the River Thames. There are two suites on the first three floors at that level and the last floor has the best suite in this hotel."
Aria looked at the hotel's extravagance. Truly, it was very beautiful. There was a circular vestibule at the reception. There were four wide vaulted corridors, each leading to different wings: North, East, West and South. There were triangular shaped staircases on both sides of the entrance door. The one on the right led to the dining hall, while the one on the left led to the restaurants and other shops.
"You can take a look whenever you are free," Stuart said handing them the cards to their room. They were assigned three rooms in total. Since it was an international conference, more than five hundred people were attending it. So, all the hotel rooms had been booked for this purpose except for the presidential suites. Mason and another male doctor, Aiden Cooper, were to share a room. While the two female doctors, Tara Das and Julia Robert, decided to stay in one room. Now Aria had a room all by herself and she was very happy about it.
Stuart led them towards the East Wing and took them to their rooms on the sixth floor via the elevator. He accompanied them till their respective rooms and reminded them to come down for dinner at the dining hall as early as possible.
"Umm. Stuart, may I have your number? Just in case of an emergency." Aria handed her phone to him. Stuart fed his number on her phone and gave his number a ring.
"Remember, come down as early as possible. It's almost 10." Aria nodded and went inside her room. It was decorated in period styles with built-in wardrobes and bedroom cabinets. The four-poster bed was covered with Irish linen sheets, with cherry wood furnishings.
Aria unpacked her bag and took out her towel. She opened the bathroom door was gasped. The bathroom was as beautiful as the bedroom. As she didn't have time to admire it, she immediately washed her face, combed her messy hair and applied some minimal makeup. She didn't change out of her casual dress as she was only going for dinner. She took a look at herself in the mirror. Though she looked tired, she looked presentable. Satisfied with her looks, she walked out of her room towards the dining hall. Stuart was waiting for her team at the entrance of the dining hall. "Wow that was quite fast."
"I am starving. Where are the others?"
"You are the first one to come."
The dining hall was very large. There was food being served on the left while there were tables and deep red riveted leather chairs on the left. The ceiling had a garlanded balustrade giving it an ornate look. There were huge brass chandeliers at the center and the windows were covered with deep red curtains. Aria looked at the food being served and her stomach rumbled loudly. Stuart chuckled hearing the noise, making Aria blush with embarrassment.
After fifteen minutes, the remaining four people arrived.
"It's a buffet. So, help yourselves." Stuart picked up the plate and went to look at the dishes. Aria too followed suit and her jaw dropped looking at the various cuisines being served. She grabbed a plate of fish and chips, a small serving of Shepherd's pie and three servings of bangers and mash.
"Wow. Nice." Mason commented looking at her plate.
Aria grabbed a bottle of water and took her seat at one of the tables. She moaned in delight when she tasted a spoon of bangers and mash.
"Wow. Look at you. Did you starve yourself for a week or what?" Stuart joked. Aria gave him a smile. The food was too delicious for her to even speak. Though Stuart had commented about Aria's plate, his plate was loaded more than hers. One by one, her team members came and sat at the table.
After everyone had finished with their dinner, Stuart handed them the itinerary.
"Tomorrow's schedule is empty. What are we going to do?" Tara asked studying the sheet.
"Tomorrow we are going sightseeing."