The Blogging from A to Z Challenge 2013 – Road Trip! {Letter “O”}

I am very excited to be taking part in the Blogging A to Z Challenge 2013.  This is actually my third challenge; the first year I featured a recipe for each letter and last year I drew on  my nursing background and used “parts of the human body” as my inspiration!

This year I have decided to change things up a bit.  I live in Canada and believe it is one of the most beautiful countries on the planet; so I have decided to feature a different Canadian “place”, for each letter of the challenge.

I am very much looking forward to seeing how everyone interprets the Challenge and I would love to have you join me, as I crisscross this vast country on my Blogging from A to Z Challenge 2013 – Road Trip!

So, without further ado,   “O” is for Ottawa, Ontario

{Image  attribution: http://ottawa.ca/en}

Ottawa is the capital of Canada, and to me, an obvious choice for this part of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge – Road Trip.  I would love for you to join me as we tour the capital city of this wonderful country!

Population: City 883,391 / Metro 1,236,324 {2011 census}

Climate:  Ottawa has a humid continental climate, a climatic region typified by four distinct seasons with large seasonal temperature differences; with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters.  The average July maximum temperature is 26.5 °C (80 °F). The average January minimum temperature is −15.3 °C (4.5 °F).  Ottawa receives about 235 centimetres (93 in) of snowfall annually.

Location/Geography/Brief History:  Ottawa is the capital of Canada, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and together they form the National Capital Region (NCR)

Founded in 1826 as “Bytown” and incorporated as “Ottawa” in 1855, the city has evolved into a political and technological centre of Canada. Its original boundaries were expanded through numerous minor annexations and ultimately replaced by a new city incorporation and major amalgamation in 2001 which significantly increased its land area. The name “Ottawa” is derived from the Algonquin word adawe, meaning “to trade”. Initially an Irish and French Christian settlement, Ottawa has become a multicultural city with a diverse population.

Mercer ranks Ottawa with the second highest quality of living of any large city in the Americas, and 14th highest in the world. It is also rated the second cleanest city in Canada, and third cleanest city in the world. In 2012, the city was ranked for the third consecutive year as the best community in Canada to live in by MoneySense.

Some Notable Residents:

• Margaret Atwood, writer
• Dan Aykroyd, actor
• Bruce Cockburn, singer
• Thomas Ahearn, Inventor and businessperson – Holder of several patents, businessman, driving force behind Ottawa’s streetcar system
• Steve MacLean is a Canadian astronaut
• Adrienne Clarkson, the former Governor General of Canada and esteemed author and broadcaster.
• Steve Yzerman, former NHL hockey player
• Rich Little, comedian
• Elizabeth Manley, Olympic silver medalist in figure skating.
• Peter Mansbridge, journalist
• Sandra Oh, actress known for her role as Dr. Cristina Yang on Grey’s Anatomy
• Matthew Perry, actor best known for his role as Chandler Bing on Friends
• Barbara Ann Scott, figure-skating Olympic gold-medalist of the 1940s

….and the lists go on!  You can check them out on Wikipedia and Ottawa Start.

Some things to do:

• Visit Parliament Hill
• Visit some National Cultural Attractions
• Shop at the ByWard Market
• Go boating on the UNESCO Rideau Canal
• Explore the Outdoors
• Take in a Festival
• Experience a City tour

 Rideau Canal Skateway

{Photo attribution:  Ottawa Tourism (CC)}

 Canadian Museum of Civilization

{Photo attribution:  Ottawa Tourism (CC)}

Skating on the Rideau Canal

{Photo attribution:  Ottawa Tourism (CC)}

Parliament Hill Centre Block

{Photo attribution:  Ottawa Tourism (CC)}

Panoramic view of Ottawa

 {Photo Attribution:  By G. Baranski (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 or GFDL], via Wikimedia Commons}

Now that we’ve visited everything great that Canada’s capital city of Ottawa has to offer it’s time to hop into bed and get a good nights rest! We have a long, long drive to get to tomorrows “P” destination…see you bright and early!

Past visits on the A to Z Challenge 2013 – Road Trip:

• A is for Alma, New Brunswick
• B is for Banff, Alberta
• C is for Cornwall, Ontario
• D is for Dawson City, Yukon
• E is for Edmonton, Alberta
• Blogging from A to Z Challenge 2013 – Virtual  Road Trip & Actual Road Trip! 
• L is for London, Ontario {Resumption of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge 2013 – Road Trip!}
• M is for Montreal, Quebec
• N is for Nanaimo, BC (with recipe)

Complete listing of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge 2013 participants.

CREDITS – Map source – Natural Resources Canada (altered to add place name).  First 4 photos are from the Ottawa Tourism Photo Gallery.   Information contained in this post was obtained from Wikipedia, Mercer.com,  MoneySense, Ottawa.ca, OttawaStart and Ottawa Tourism.