A few lucky students got to enter the Vault of the Hard Rock Cafe in London. From left to right: Greg Bluestein holding a bass guitar used by Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Derek Tusa holding a Black Sabbath guitar, Sarah Thibodeux holding Gene Simmon’s axe guitar, and Jessica Herr holding a guitar used by Oasis.

Over the recent April vacation, Mrs. Jane Osgood, an English teacher at Saugus High School, brought about a great opportunity for several students at Saugus High School. Sophomore, Sarah Thibodeux, juniors Stephen Lamonica and Katie Noyes, and seniors Sydney Hayward, Meagan Lynch, Amara Georges, Ashley Trun, Derek Tusa, Christine Bentz, Patrick Maguire, Jessica Herr, Ashley Medeiros, and myself traveled across the Atlantic Ocean to the great and beautiful city of London, England.

Stephen Lamonica and Jessica Herr pose with one of the guards outside of Buckingham Palace.

Taking off at around 6:00 P.M. out of Logan Airport on Monday, April 21st, the group of Saugus students arrived in Heathrow Airport in London at about 5:00 A.M. the next day and were immediately sent out to start their tour without a wink of sleep at the hotel. Viewing the city, the students were able to see the spectacular gothic-style architecture of the city. The tower holding the bell of Big Ben along with the rest of Parliament which it was connected to was a standout sight, head and heels above the rest with its enormous stature and bold yet elegant appearance.

Beyond sightseeing, the students had the chance to enter many of the museums in London as the majority of their museums are free of charge. Paintings by Da-Vinci and the actual Rosetta Stone were just some of the pieces of art and history that were viewable.

The tour itself was fantastic. It incorporated of a trip to King Henry VIII’s palace, viewing the Changing of the Guard at Bucking-ham Palace, a two hour trip outside of the city towards Wales to see Stone Henge and the Roman Baths, a cruise under the River Thames that took the students underneath the famous London Bridge and Tower Bridge, viewing the Crowned Jewels in the Tower of London, a tour of the recreated Globe Theater, and a Jack the Ripper tour where the students followed the path of the Jack the Ripper murders.

Another standout moment during the trip was the fantastic Eye of London that the Saugus students had the chance to ride. The gigantic Ferris wheel type contraption took the students far above the bank of the River Thames in only an all glass capsule that allowed the students a fantastic view of London. The half hour ride was a beautiful one as one could actually see the weather changing in London from that height.

Perhaps the most entertaining of the event that the tour included were the two live plays that the students were able to witness. The second one seen was The Lord of the Rings, a musical version of the infamous novels by J.R.R. Tolkein. The special effects provided in this play were unlike anything any live performance had ever achieved and the actors were very interactive with the crowd, causing an interested and curious reaction from the audience.

The first play that was witnessed though was the world famous Wicked. This play is based off of the Wizard of Oz. Told from the point of view of the Wicked Witch, Wicked was a fantastic all around performance that changed everything and anything previously known about the Wizard of Oz. Then an even more special of an event took place after the show where one of the leading characters actually signed autographs and took pictures with several of the Saugus students.

The trip to England was long but went by so fast. It seemed that just as we had gotten there, it was time to pack again. The old and beautiful buildings and churches would be sorely missed although some of us had come home with a slight English accent that helped us to remember these magnificent sites. However nothing will replace the beauty and elegance that the students witnessed in the city of London.