May 2008
During the second half of our Italian tour, the Purdue jazz band stayed in Lido di Jesolo, a costal town along the Adriatic Sea. The significance of this town is that it is a short waterbus ride to Venice. To stay in Venice is very expensive; therefore, the best option for poor student tourists is to stay in nearby coastal towns, such as Lido di Jesolo.
Though it wasn't Venice, the beach held a gorgeous view. In fact, I don't remember staying in my room for long periods of time. If I wanted to take a nap, I would take my towel, pillow, and sunglasses and lounge on the available beach chairs along the coast.
Looking out towards the sea, the view in front was an endless gorgeous blue horizon. To the left, hotels and beach chairs endlessly aligned. However to the right, a light house sat on land that seemed to jut far into the Adriatic Sea, intensely arousing my curiosity for a closer look. I was not the only one.
On the day before we toured Venice, the group literally had the entire day to explore the area. Lido di Jesolo was not a large or historic town, meaning that there were few attractions to entertain us. Therefore, it was not a surprise when people started talking about the lighthouse. Many band members started over, quickly realizing that the walk took longer than expected. A hike that "should" have taken perhaps 20 minutes, took about 45 minutes in reality. Those who survived the hike and actually reached the destination were Christopher John, John Dvorchak, and me.
Up close, the lighthouse was much larger than expected and located on the other side of a canal. We could not cross this canal because the waves from the Adriatic Sea crashed violently against the rocks that lined the canal. The "jut of land" I previously mentioned was actually a great pile of boulders, strategically placed to break the waves that would have otherwise crashed into the lighthouse.
Prior to this experience, I knew of John Dvorchak but did not know much about him. This trip changed that very quickly. For starters, he's a guy that will do what he's set out to do. For example, the trail ended in front of the boulders that comprised the "jut of land." It was John Dvorchak who suggested we climb the boulders. I, however, was freaking out the whole way; I imagined officials catching us, then dragging us to their station because we didn't have our passports. But since Christopher John followed John Dvorchak, I felt I had no say in the matter.
I figured the boys would have stopped when the boulders became more difficult to climb...nope. We fought our way until we reached the very end, about 150 feet away from the coastline. It was definitely worth the effort. Out there, you instantly felt calm. Gentle breezes brushed your face as waves lapped below. Noise from the town of tourists were drowned out. We sat there for hours as the high tide came and the sun set. During that time, we discovered that each of us viewed music more seriously than a mere pasttime.
Eventually, we decided to make our way back before the darkness shadowed the dangerous cracks between the boulders. But through the rest of the trip, the three of us remained close.
