The summer of 2023 was a time for travel for many tourists, including members of the Patriot community, to visit European countries. Several faculty members and students decided to make the trip across the Atlantic to explore Europe.
One faculty member who traveled to Europe was Spanish Teacher Lorena dos Santos. Mrs. Dos Santos visited Portugal and Italy this summer. In Portugal, Mrs. dos Santos visited her family and in-laws. She said, “My trip was fabulous.”
Mrs. Dos Santos hopes to visit more countries. She said, “I love to travel and would like to see other European countries like Germany, England, and Greece.”
In the past, she has traveled to France and Spain.
While in Portugal and Italy, she visited many famous cities like Milan, Venice, and Lake Como. Mrs. Dos Santos said her favorite was Venice, “It has the beautiful water canals, beautiful historic buildings, the center square Piazza San Marco and Gothic churches, wonderful cafes, and gelaterias.”
Mrs. dos Santos’s advice for people traveling to Europe is to preplan things so that travel is easier and more carefree. She also said that doing this saves time in lines and reduces worries about finding booked events while there.
Another member of the JC community who went to Europe is junior Luca Santoro. Luca traveled to Italy to visit family and for vacation. He has also been to Belgium in the past for family reasons.
Luca said his favorite part of the trip was the food. He wants to go back to Italy and possibly visit Greece. His advice for people wanting to travel is to just do it and go; do not wait.
Fine Arts Chairman Lisa Collins also went to Italy. She visited the cities of Venice, Sorrento, Florence, and Rome. She and her family went to celebrate her daughter’s graduation with a master’s degree and for her and her husband’s thirtieth wedding anniversary.
They decided to go to Italy because she and her husband are really into architecture, and “Italy is home to some of the most influential architecture in the world.”
Mrs. Collins really enjoyed her trip and commented, “It was the trip of a lifetime.” She really enjoyed being with her kids, especially since they are all away at college now.
Her top memories from the trip included going to the Pantheon after learning about it for so long and climbing St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican City. Climbing the Basilica was her favorite because “the view of Rome was simply breathtaking.”
Sophomore Addison Weaver visited France and Spain this summer. Addi visited Paris and cities in Spain for soccer. Addi is supposed to visit Italy in April, which is something she is looking forward to.
While in Portugal, Addi went to a Barcelona FC soccer match. She said the game was her favorite memory of the whole trip. Another memory Addi has from her trip is when she was in Paris. Addi said, “My trip was good, besides getting stranded in Paris because the train workers were on strike.”
Since Addi has traveled a lot before, she has plenty of advice for those willing to travel. She said, “My advice for people is to befriend the locals and get tips from them to find the best places.”
Senior Alexandra Ribeiro went to Portugal this summer. Alex goes every summer to visit her family and has been traveling around the world since she was a little girl.
While in Portugal, Alex made some new friends and visited Nazere. She recommended packing warm clothes “because it gets chilly at night. . . Some parties and festivals are the best to go to.”