Top 10 reasons we love France

10/3/2012 — By Budget Travel

Lavender fields in Provence.

Happy Bastille Day! Or as the French say, Bonne La Fête Nationale! It's the French equivalent of the Fourth of July, with parades and parties to celebrate the anniversary of the birth of modern France.

Launch our slide show: 29 Stunning Photos of France.

We, too, would like to celebrate the red, white, and blue of a different flag, so we present our Top 10 reasons we love France:

1. Crepes at every corner in Paris

2. It gave the world Nutella

3. The music of Edith Piaf

4. Wine is appropriate with every meal

5. The word boulangerie (it means bread shop)

6. The smell boulangeries emit, which permeates every street corner in the morning

7. It inspired Woody Allen's whimsical Midnight in Paris

8. Lavender fields in July

9. Rosé from the Côte du Rhône region

10. The French kiss

What do you love about France?

Travel by Train: 7 Awesome Routes for Seeing the U.S.A.

Locals Know Best: Olympia, Washington

Visiting Rome: The New Rules You’d Better Know

TSA Summer Travel Tips: 5 Things Every Traveler Must Know