TRAVELING WITH AGENCY OR SELF ARANGED?
ITALY ~ VERONA- GARDLAND- VENICE
I can't say that I have a lot of travel experience, but until now all my trips were my own creation, I never traveled with an agency, but I organized and booked transportation and accommodation myself. I used various agencies in the destination itself if I wanted to visit some places for which I needed to have a guide who would explain more about the place I was visiting. But a few months ago I decided to try agency travel. I made this decision primarily because the entire package, ie transportation, accommodation, entrance fees and visits, were included in the price, which was also quite low. I decided to book a tour to visit Verona, Venice and Gardeland Theme Park in Italy. The whole tour cost 140 euros per person, which is quite affordable. I booked the tour through Kuna travel agency. I will describe the tour in detail as well as my impressions and opinion about traveling through a travel agency. We left Zagreb for Italy via Slovenia at 1 am and had a night drive with three breaks. The bus was quite uncomfortable, one of the most cramped buses I've ever ridden in, and most importantly the bus had no toilet, which is a big red flag since it's a two-day international tour, most of which is spent on the bus. When we got on the bus we didn't think about it so much because we were initially excited about the trip, but these troubles will follow us later in the trip. The bus was almost completely full, there were only a few free seats. The program of the trip was: we will arrive in Italy ie Verona around 8-9 in the morning and go straight to the Gardeland amusement park which opens at 10 am, and we will be here until it closes ie 6 pm. Then we were to head to Verona for a city tour and then go to the Hotel where we are to spend the night. But of course the plan changed at the last moment. We arrived in Verona a little before 7am which meant we would go to Verona first so we wouldn't have to sit on the bus until the theme park opened.
But this tour was literally anything but a tour, the right word would be a race. We had to rush to have time to see the main sights of Verona, and of course since we didn't have time we couldn't take pictures at many of the sights because each one had a waiting line. The first thing we got to see in Verona was the arena, which was quite impressive from the outside and of course I regret not being able to see what it looks like inside. Next to the Arena, you can see the huge metal heart, which is a kind of trademark of Verona due to the number of tourists who take pictures with it, because in the background is actually the Arena and you get quite beautiful and unique photos. As many of the tourists had not yet arrived in Verona as it was quite early, the narrow cobbled streets were almost empty and the only positive was that we did not have to contend with the large number of tourists who come daily to this beautiful city. Then we headed to the center of Verona ie Piazza delle Erbe where we took a picture with the huge whale bone hanging on top of the gate. We had an espresso, we went to see Julia's balcony, but we didn't manage to take a picture here or even go up there because we had to get back on the bus. We only managed to quickly go through the city to have a quick coffee because some of the attractions were not open because it was too early to buy a souvenir and quickly return to the bus. If I were to go to Verona next time, I would definitely set aside a whole day for this beautiful city full of romance, beautiful architecture and history.
Around 10am we arrived at Gardaland Theme Park and our guide picked up the tickets and handed them out to the group, the tickets were included in the package and cost 35 euros per person. I can safely say that this part of the trip was the most fun and the best part of the trip. After we got the tickets we went straight to the park. These amusement parks are spread over a huge area and it takes a lot of time to get from one ride to another, and quite often there are huge queues and you can wait up to 1 hour for rides. Since I studied the map of the amusement park before we set off on this trip, I knew right away where I needed to go. In the Gardeland amusement park, the rides are divided into several categories: fantasy, adventure and adrenaline. My primary goal was to ride all the rides in the adrenaline section, which includes 4 roller coasters, 1 free fall and 1 magic house. Closest to the entrance was the magic house and we headed for it first. At first glance, it didn't look scary at all, it looked more like a ride for small children, and for a moment I thought that I had not read the map well and that I had missed the place. But when the drive started, I realized that we were in the right place. The ride is set up so that it looks like you are sitting on a boat with three rows of seats on both sides, there are no seat belts, you just sit on one big bench. Slowly the ride began to slowly move back and forth constantly accelerating, and at one point the roof above us began to move in a side direction, and it looked like we were on the roof and hanging with our heads down which of course was just an illusion. At one point I no longer knew whether we were going forward or going back, I lost a complete idea of the space in which I was. Due to the innocent appearance of the rides, many parents took their small children thinking that it was nothing terrible, so all around us we could only hear panicked screams from the small children who were frantic with fear. Since I did not expect that, I can say that I was surprised and a little shocked, but I must admit that it was quite an interesting ride. If I had to rate this ride I'd give it a 6 out of 10, because of the surprise and unexpectedness, but overall it's not something that makes me feel a pit in my stomach when I think about it, like some other rides. From here we headed to the next adrenaline ride, which ended up going to the magic house. It's about the RAPTOR roller coaster. Quite an adrenaline ride that makes your heart beat fast, even though it lasts only 1 minute and 30 seconds, this roller coaster reaches a speed of 90 kilometers per hour. The rating for this ride would be 7 out of 10. From here we headed to perhaps the most famous ride in Gardeland the roller coaster OBLIVION. This roller coaster reaches a speed of 100 kilometers per hour and has a drop at an angle of incredible 87 degrees, that is, almost a drop at a right angle, which is incredibly scary because this drop is an incredible 40 meters high and you have the feeling that you are falling for an incredibly long time. To get your turn on this ride you will have to spend 20-30 minutes at best to get your turn, the line is quite long and despite the fact that it lasts a short time there are many people who want to try this beast. I would rate this rollercoaster with 9 out of 10, the ride is excellent, but I would not give it a 10 because in America, ie Tampa, I rode the most powerful rollercoaster. A rollercoaster from which my legs and arms were shaking for half an hour after the ride and I could not unfasten my seat belts, IRON GWAZI which moves at an incredible speed of 122 kilometers per hour. But I will write about that experience another time. After this drive we decided to take a lunch break and eat in one of the restaurants.
After lunch, we decided to take a break from the adrenaline rides and dedicate ourselves to the adventure and fantasy rides. Since of course we rode the main rides, we only had BLUE TORNADO left, because SHAMAN was not in operation, and no one wanted to join me on SPACE VERTIGO, so I was thinking whether to ride alone or not. Space vertigo is actually a free fall of 40 meters and it's quite a scary ride, but I didn't want to go alone because of course I had ridden the same one in BUSCH GARDENS which was 102 meters high. We continued walking around the amusement park in search of an interesting ride that didn't have a long line to wait. These rides are kid-friendly and that's why all the families with small children were waiting in line for these rides and long queues were formed, sometimes waiting for up to 1 hour. Of course, we didn't waste that much time waiting, so we looked for places where there weren't long lines. We rode some spinning coasters and I can tell you I was amazed at the speed considering these are kiddie rides. Then we went to COLORADO BOAT, where you ride in boats through water, similar to a roller coaster only in water and of course the speed is not nearly the same but it was quite a fun ride. At one point there is a descent and the water sprays on all sides and because I was sitting in the front I was wet all over, but when you spill from the rides there are special places where you can dry off so it's not terrible, and the weather was also quite sunny considering that it was the month of April. I would rate this ride 8.5 out of 10 in the adventure section. From here we headed to JUMANJI: THE ADVENTURE as we realized that the queue had drastically reduced in the interim. The ride is quite interesting and realistic, you drive in a jeep through a cave, but for me it was not something extra special and I would rate it 7 out of 10 in the adventure section. The next ride was MAMMUT, by which I was honestly the most surprised and shocked in a positive sense. This rollercoaster is placed in the adventure section, after which I expected a ride for children, much slower with gentle turns. But we got something completely different that I was positively shocked and surprised by. 2 minutes and 45 seconds of driving at a speed of about 50 kilometers per hour, in a metal roller coaster without any special protection and safety, only a metal bar in front of you, with incredible curves and descents. Around me I could hear the manic screams of terrified children, and the loud laughter of people who did not expect this ride, and I was one of them. That's why I'll rate this ride 9.5 out of 10 in the adventure section. After this adventurous ride, it was BLUE TORNADO's turn, a ride characterized by the fact that the rollercoaster only slightly reduces its speed, i.e. after reaching a speed of 80 kilometers per hour, the speed does not vary much. You feel as if you are flying constantly. The ride lasts 1 minute and 42 seconds. I would rate this roller coaster 8 out of 10. Last but not least the ride we managed to ride before the park closed was JUNGLE RAPIDS another ride from the adventure section. Quite an interesting and calming ride, you ride in a circular boat through rapids that take you through a theme park that looks beautiful. This ride gets an 8 out of 10 in the adventure section. One of the things I can't understand is why we had to wait at Gardenand until 19:30 to go to the hotel where we were supposed to spend the night when the park itself closes at 18:00. And after that, not a single restaurant or bar is open where we could eat or at least have a drink while we wait. And we had to exit the theme park and literally sit in the parking lot where our bus was parked and wait for 7:30 p.m. Finally we headed to the hotel which was a bit outside the city area but of course it was late and we were tired and just wanted to eat, shower and go to sleep.
We were staying at the three-star Kona Hotel Verona near the small town of Negrar di Valpolicella. The hotel was clean and the rooms were quite spacious. We were placed three in one room. After settling into our hotel rooms, we showered and headed to a nearby restaurant for dinner, Restorante Pizzeria al Ritrovo. The restaurant was decorated in a typical Italian style with lots of wooden details and distinctive checkered tablecloths on the tables. We settled in and a waitress came to us and gave us a menu to look at. After 5 minutes he came back to us to receive our order. Although it was obvious that she knew English and understood what we were ordering, she persistently answered us in Italian. She was quite uncultured and rude, while with the other guests who were obviously Italian, she was very kind and helpful. After we finished our dinner and went to pay at the counter and we had a 20% discount because we were staying at the hotel, she initially wanted to charge us quite a bit more, and ended up charging us and charging us a 0.2% discount that we didn't notice in I saw the same moment when we had already left the restaurant. Although the food was delicious, this unprofessional and uncultured behavior of the waitress was disgusting and I know I will never come to this place again. After this unpleasant situation, we headed to the hotel and decided to rest and sleep to be ready for the day ahead. We were all quite excited about visiting Venice, and had divided opinions about what awaited us there. I had read a lot about Venice and there are quite divided opinions about this destination. A large number of tourists evaluate this tourist destination as overrated, due to the large number of tourists who visit it, and thus there is a lot of pollution and overcrowding. While the other part of the tourists who visited Venice say that it is one of the most beautiful destinations they have ever visited. My personal expectation was that there would be quite an unpleasant smell due to the large number of canals and water, huge overcrowding of tourists, and I honestly thought it was an overrated destination. I was excited about the visit and couldn't wait to see if I was right or if I had a completely wrong idea about Venice.
Venice is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 126 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are linked by 472 bridges. The islands are in the shallow Venetian Lagoon, an enclosed bay lying between the mouths of the Po and the Piave rivers. In 2020, around 258,685 people resided in greater Venice or the Comunedi Venezia, of whom around 51,000 live in the historical island city of Venice (centro storico) and the rest on the mainland (terraferma). Together with the cities of Padua and Treviso, Venice is included in the Padua- Treviso- Venice Metropolitan Area (PATREVE), which is considered a statistical metropolitan area, with a total population of 2.6 million.
The name is derived from the ancient Veneti people who inhabited the region by the 10th century BC. The city was historically the capital of the Republic of Venice for almost a millennium, from 810 to 1797. It was a major financial and maritime power during the Middle Ages and Renaissance, and a staging area for the Crusades and the Battle of Lepanto, as well as an important centre of commerce—especially silk, grain, and spice, and of art from the 13th century to the end of the 17th. The city-state of Venice is considered to have been the first real international financial centre, emerging in the 9th century and reaching its greatest prominence in the 14th century. This made Venice a wealthy city throughout most of its history. For centuries Venice possessed numerous territories along the Adriatic Sea and within the Italian peninsula, leaving a significant impact on the architecture and culture that can still be seen today. The Venetian Arsenal is considered by several historians to be the first factory in history, and was the base of Venice's naval power. The sovereignty of Venice came to an end in 1797, at the hands of Napoleon. Subsequently, in 1866, the city became part of the Kingdom of Italy.
Venice has been known as "La Dominante", "La Serenissima", "Queen of the Adreatic", "City of Water", "City of Masks", "City of Bridges", "The Floating City", and "City of Canals". The lagoon and the historic parts of the city within the lagoon were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987, covering an area of 70,176.4 hectares (173,410 acres). In light of the fact that Venice and its lagoon are under constant threat in terms of their ecology and the safeguarding of the cultural heritage, Venice's UNESCO listing has been under constant examination by UNESCO. Parts of Venice are renowned for the beauty of their settings, their architecture, and artwork. Venice is known for several important artistic movements – especially during the Renaissance period – and has played an important role in the history of instrumental and operatic music; it is the birthplace of Baroque composers Tomaso Albinoni and Antonio Vivaldi.
In the 21st century, Venice remains a very popular tourist destination, a major cultural centre, and has often been ranked one of the most beautiful cities in the world. It has been described byThe Times as one of Europe's most romantic cities and by The New York Times as "undoubtedly the most beautiful city built by man". However, the city faces challenges including an excessive number of tourists, pollution, tide peaks and cruise ships sailing too close to buildings.
After the continental breakfast, which was nothing special and I honestly expected a slightly better continental breakfast, we checked out, put our bags on the bus, and were ready for the last destination of our trip. It was supposed to be a less than 2 hour drive, but as Murphy's Law dictates anything that can go wrong will. So we got stuck in a crowd and this 2 hour drive turned into a 4 hour ordeal on the bus. People were nervous because we only had 2 hours left to enjoy this destination instead of the promised 5-6 hours. We were locked in the bus without the possibility to use the toilet, which was honestly my biggest problem. I had two cups of coffee and several glasses of juice at breakfast, as well as an energy drink on the bus, and I had a huge need to go to the bathroom. I have never felt such a need in my life and I honestly thought I wouldn't make it to the bathroom. The passengers on the bus were angry and nervous because of the disorganization of the travel agency. After several hours of calvary, we finally arrived at the port of Bath, where we had to get on the ship that would take us to Venice. The tour guide literally told us that we will have to run to catch the boat that leaves in a few minutes from the port, otherwise we will have to wait an extra half hour for the next boat. We were a whole group of about 50 people running towards the ship to make it on time and honestly it wasn't that close. But still we managed to arrive on time. The ride was pleasant and interesting. Our first goal was to find a place where we could have lunch because after that we had a long drive to Croatia. We were looking for a place to sit and came across a very interesting restaurant that was so charming and the whole interior and decoration screamed Italy. Literally the way you would imagine if someone said Italian restaurant. I really regret that I didn't notice the name of this restaurant because we really enjoyed it, the food was fascinating, here I ate the best spaghetti al arabiata that I have ever tried in my life, a perfect combination of hot and spicy and perfectly cooked and balanced. The waiters were very polite and funny, quite helpful and professional. This was one of the better experiences here for sure.
Since we had such little time here we wanted to make the most of it and see how much more we could. We walked the narrow streets and absorbed everything around us. I was quite positively surprised by Venice and despite the large mass of people you could still find a place where there would be no one around you, and of course the bad smell I was afraid of did not exist at all. Unfortunately we didn't have time to ride in the gondola due to the short time we had on the island, but that's one more reason to return to Venice again, of course to explore it in more detail, to enter some of the museums and churches and cathedrals which are wonderful. Venice is famous for its carnival, and masks are one of the trademarks of Venice, and of course it's as if you've never been to Venice if you don't buy an ornament or magnet in the shape of a carnival mask.
Venice is a place that you need at least one whole day to experience and see in the right light. Is it wise to visit through an agency? Definitely NOT in my opinion. Especially if it is a tour in which you need to visit several cities. If you have the chance to organize and go with your own vehicle that would be ideal. I definitely wouldn't recommend going with an agency, and I definitely wouldn't go through an agency again. I'm not saying I would never travel with an agency again, but I would try this route in my own organization.
THE END :)
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