In 2016, I spent two weeks in Europe with my club soccer team, traveling to many different countries, and experiencing different cultures and people, as well as the different ways of playing the game I love. I got another opportunity to do the same thing three years later in 2019.
In 2016 I went to Europe with my club team and got to visit many different cities and countries. My favorite city was Budapest because of all of the amazing views. The people were challenging there. The women did not like us and would make sure we knew that. They are not fond of American women we quickly learned. Now the men, were about the exact opposite. They were constantly trying to touch us (sometimes inappropriately). Besides the people, Budapest was educational, beautiful and simply eye opening to a whole other life style. Our hotel was right on the water, and you could see a magnificent castle right across the water. We were also fortunate enough to have many different adventures. My favorite adventure was having dinner on a beautiful boat. Budapest has a river that runs through it named Danube River, and it is surrounded by new and old buildings. The views were breathe taking. They served us with a drink as soon as we stepped food on the boat. They served us a buffet that had all types of noodles, sauces, and different kinds of meats including meatballs, chicken, and some sort of ground beef. Another one of my favorite places from this trip was Vienna. We stayed in a very old castle that had been transformed into a beautiful hotel. We also got to go into the town and see all of the beautiful white buildings. We also went on a 23 mile bike ride that led us to another castle. The bike ride was not easy by any means, but the views around were worth it. We stopped at multiple different points to simply look at all of the greenery around us. There were mostly just plants and a lot of different kinds of boulders because of us being on a path for the most part. Playing soccer in a different country is very different than playing soccer in America. Soccer is a way of life in Europe and is taken very seriously. But on the other side of it, they love to have fun while playing it. Before most games, we were offered shots and at half time and a beer after the game. The way they take care of their pitch was overwhelming. The grass was perfectly cut and was very green. We also went to Prague, which in ways like Budapest to me. We went on Segways to tour Prague, and that was the best part of the whole trip. We got to see all of the simple and beautiful places in Prague.
Three years later, in 2019, I went to Europe it was with my college soccer team. This time was a little bit different for me because I had just fractured my tibia plateau, so I was on crutches for this trip.We went to France. Paris had beautiful parts to it, but overall I was not the biggest fan of it. It was very dirty besides the museums, and it constantly had a harsh smell. We went to the Eiffel Tower, saw the Mona Lisa, and also went to other historic places. We went and saw all of the shops in Paris including Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Supreme. We also went to the Norte-Dame right after the fire, so we could not go in it but we were still able to see the outside of it. We scootered around Paris for the most part, and that was probably one of my favorite parts. Traffic is so different there compared to Colorado, I would compare it to New York. So, while scootering you were able to weave in and out of traffic and scooter in the road instead of on the side walk. We went to the Palace of Versailles, which had the most beautiful pieces of art work, and had extraordinary attention to detail. They gave us a small ear piece, so that our tour guide would be able to explain every room and place we went to. We also were there during the World Cup, so we went to a game at the Stade de la Mosson. This game was so fun to go to because the United States was playing. We also went to Montpellier and stayed in a hotel right on the beach. Montpellier is beautiful and walking the streets there was like a dream.
Although both of these trips were life changing, my second trip was my favorite. Even though I was on crutches I still think I got to experience more and see more things that we hear so much about. It was also more recent so that also could have something to do with it. I remember so much more from my second trip than my first.
My name is Chaynee Kingsbury. I am from a small town in Colorado called Windsor. I am a psychology major, and just transferred from the University of Colorado Boulder to the University of Denver. I played soccer there and am continuing to do so at DU. I love my family, and have four younger siblings the youngest one being 7. An interesting fact about me is that all of the names in my family start with C, and all of our names are unusual. Chaynee (me), Carty and Cason (17 and twins), Creed (9), and Chaylis (7).