wooden shutters

At first I thought this was just a Capbreton thing, but one of the things I've come to adore about France is that most of the houses have beautiful, colorful wooden shutters. They're so elegant when they decorate large apartment buildings like this, but I also think they add a lot of charm when they "accent" simple homes like these.

(And, you'd probably think they aren't functional, but after staying in a few houses I've seen that they have insulated windows inside and the shutters are more like outdoor shades).

Coming to France, I knew there'd be a lot to fall in love with: baguettes, the language, tiny picturesque towns. Now, I'm more than happy to add fromage blanc à la vanille, endless sunflower fields, and wooden shutters to the list.