Last spring I had the opportunity to travel to Europe. Paris, France was the final destination. My stay was short, but memorable. Bellow are five things that made my experience unforgettable.

1. Catch a train around the city.

Catching a train around any city you are visiting can be such a fun experience. If any of you have traveled through NYC riding MTA, let me be the first to tell you that this experience is quite different. Mainly because the trains, and stations are much cleaner .No shade, I still love you NYC. But what I loved most about riding the trains in Paris was watching the locals, hearing the language, and get familiar with the geography of the city. There is something extremely beautiful about observing the ebb and flow of a city. My advice however, would be to have a local with you to ensure you are catching the right train, especially if language is a barrier.

2. Go to a French Bakery Eat Desserts

I believe we all understandthat Parisian desserts are highly recommended, and coveted. It is a no brained, you must go to a a bakery, any bakery really and at least try a croissant, trust me you life will be the same, but the way you view baked goods may be changed forever.

3. Appreciate the art.

This was definitely easy to do, the city has so many hidden gems placed in plane sight. The key is to take a moment to appreciate the art, if only for a minute. Paris is praised for its aesthetic prestige, but I loved the street just as much as I respected the architecture.

4. Visit a Local McDonald’s.

I know, I know. How dare I! Let me be clear. We stopped at MCDonalds for my husband to grab a coffee and use the restroom. While my intention is not based in persuading you to eat at Mickey D’s while abroad. I would encourage you to view the menu. I rem remember years ago watching a documentary on the Travel Channel about how McDonald’s customizes their menus based on location. I was curious, so of course I took this opportunity to investigate. And to my expectation I found this to be true, the menu was specifically customized to fit their French clientele. Although I didn’t try anything on the menu it was quite interesting to see. Not to mention the self ordering kiosk just a few feet away from the order and counter ……welcome to the future.

4. Catch the train to other countries.

The great thing about Europe is that there is so many contrived you can conveniently travel to by train. No boats or extreme flights, depending on where you are going, it just a train ride away. We went to Brussels, we where in a squeeze for time so we didn’t do as much exploring as we would have liked to, but it was still pretty memorable to say the least.

5. The Eiffel Tower

But of course, before you get on that last train leaving from Pairs, The Eiffel Tower is a must. We caught an Uber, so there was no stress related to finding parking. We also went around sunset, so we ended up viewing the tower lit, creating a fantasy backdrop for romantic photos and selfies alike. Save the best for last, and make it memorable.