Europe - A Day at the Beach in Jesolo, Italy

Our first day in Italy would be spent in the beach town of Jesolo. Many times over the years while suffering through a 24 Hour Race or huddling over a survival fire we always joked that we never go sit on a beach on vacation. Jesolo was our opportunity to do that. It was conveniently located near Venice on the Adriatic Sea, but far enough away to not be touristy. It was also an opportunity to spend a few days in a nice hotel, a treat that I promised my wife.

Following the Canal to Jesolo

The Adriatic Sea

Italian Beach Mobiles

I found Jesolo and our hotel, The Queen Anne on Google. It occurred to me that it might be a little odd that The Queen Anne’s website mostly had pictures of the swimming pool, but I booked it anyway – for three nights. When we arrived we discovered why. It was just a bit run down. Within the first 5 minutes in the room I managed to break the sliding garage door type shade, blocking out the view and sunlight. Then the bathroom lights didn’t work. Then the bed was less comfortable than a yoga matt on concrete. Under any other circumstances none of this would have mattered at all, but it was supposed to be our nice-hotel-honeymoon experience. In fact none of those things were deal breakers as the imperfections added a certain collective charm that overcame their individual shortcomings. The deal breaker was the all night partying by every single person in the hotel. I slept a total of 15 minutes in the door slamming, drunken shouting, disco tech-pumping wall of sound that engulfed us. I would take my revenge during the next day’s siesta, but we would need a new hotel for the remaining two nights. Doug came to the rescue, helping us secure a night at the Crown Plaza on the rail line to Venice, oddly for much cheaper than The Queen Anne. In the morning we decided to spend the day enjoying the beach, the pool, and Jesolo before departing for our new accommodations.

The Queen Anne Hotel

Broken Garage Door Window Shade

Yoga Matt-on-Concrete Bed

Tiny Shower

The Pool Made Up for it All

And the Restaurant was Nice Too

Swimming in the Adriatic Sea was a new body of water to check off my list. It was a unique shade of dull turquoise that easily disguised the basketball-sized jellyfish drifting gracefully below. The Italian beach was lined with neatly organized chairs and umbrellas in front of each hotel. The local vacationers were playing Bocce Ball, sipping espresso from the many stands, and fending off Moroccans selling cheap knock-off purses - which other than us were the only non-Italians in sight. The relaxation in the air was contagious, but after a half day of sunning, swimming, searching for wild life, and harassing Jo I was bored out of my mind. It soon became apparent why we never sit on a beach.

The Beach

Basketball-Sized Jellyfish

We decided maybe the pool would be more interesting. It was probably the nicest pool I have ever encountered. Nothing too fancy, just incredibly clear water that met an infinite-horizon edge. The pool was blistering with activity; kids, parents, and teenagers all recreating. After roughhousing with Jo I kept busy trying to swim the length of the pool and back under water. When I emerged after a particularly long stint an eerie silence had overcome the scene. Like clockwork all activity had just stopped. Everyone was suddenly asleep so fast that the soccer ball hadn’t stopped rolling yet. It was siesta time! Amazingly the entire world stopped for a few hours while everyone had a nice nap.

The Pool

We had misgivings about leaving The Queen Anne early, but we were trying to fit a summer’s worth of vacationing into two weeks and sleep was valuable necessity. When everyone emerged from their siesta they would be recharged and ready to go all night. It was time to head inland to the Crown Plaza. The Plaza lacked the charm of the Queen Anne and its close proximity to Venice resulted in a disturbing number of American guests, but it satisfied the nice hotel goal. I stay in a ridiculous number of hotels, but I have to admit the room was a treat. There was even a face-washing sink next to the toilet. You have to applaud the Europeans for their efficiency.

Our Room at the Crown Plaza

Face Washing Sink Next to the Toilet - So Efficient

Dinner

We slept like rocks in the comfortable bed. We would need it because in the morning we would be off to Venice.