You won’t find any nutritional information on products in France. I guess it doesn’t matter that much because most people follow a commonsense diet, or at least try to: eat more veggies than Nutella, nibble on bread but go easy on the mayonnaise, enjoy some dessert but a small portion of it. But in North America, a lot of restaurants offer super-fatty dishes.

The second main building I visited as part of the Ottawa 2010 Doors Open event is the Supreme Court. Located on Parliament Hill, the imposing grey building sits in the background, close to the Ottawa River.
Right after going through security, I stepped into the Grand Entrance Hall, with the logo of the Supreme Court, the “S” and the “C”.

Last weekend was “Doors Open” in Ottawa, a yearly event during which a number of places open their doors to the public. Not only admission is free, but you get the chance to peek into a number of interesting places which are not usually open to the general public. Being my usual curious self, I decided to go visit the Ottawa Paramedic Headquarter in Walkley.

I’ve been writing about Canada immigration since I became a permanent resident, in 2005. While I’m by no mean a specialist, I learned a lot when I did my research and I enjoy sharing the knowledge.
And the more I participate in forums and answer various questions from readers, the more I’m convinced some people are just either very mistaken, either very innocent, either simply… stupid.

As a French, I have being taught that bathroom humour is a low form of humour. But I cannot hold it any longer (pun intended) – I’m Canadian now, and if I want to write an article about bathrooms, well so be it.
So, are Canadian and French bathrooms different? You bet they are. And it is definitely part of the funny cultural differences you discover when you travel or live in a foreign country.

The closest U.S border is at Prescott, Ontario, a mere 45 minutes drive from Ottawa. Armed with cold drinks and cookies (Tim Hortons, obviously), we hit the road. Crossing the border is still a cool experience for me, the French girl, and I admit I get a kick out of using my Canadian passport. This is only the second time I go to the U.S as a Canadian citizen – the first time was last winter, in Niagara Falls.