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Month: December 2019

Posted on December 16, 2019December 20, 2019

Christmas in Ottawa: 17 Things to Do Before the Holidays End

There’s still holiday magic in the air!

  • Ottawa
  • Ottawa-Gatineau Winter
 by ninanearandfar0 comment
Christmas in Ottawa: 17 Things to Do Before the Holidays End

Hi! I’m Nina, and welcome to Nina Near and Far – the Ottawa-based travel blog for people pursing career and academic goals. Nina Near and Far is about making the most of your time off, weekends, and vacation days by exploring you own city and taking short, adventure-packed trips.

Instagram post 2223406763490972234_56014037 Frosty morning ☃️ ‘tis the season for the winter blues and wonky sleep to hit so I wanted to share a little 🧠 fact to brighten your day! ☀️ That was sort of a pun... you’ll see...⠀ ⠀ You’ve probably already heard that it’s great to take a Vitamin D supplement this time of year if live in the Northern Hemisphere because you’re getting less of it from the sun. Which is great, definitely do that - but this doesn’t replace another important function that comes from SEEING the sun.⠀ ⠀ There’s a little region of your brain called the suprachiasmatic nucleus (which I have always remembered because it reminds me of the word supercalifragilisticexpialidocious). It’s not exactly 24 hours though, so it’s best if you can reset the clock so to speak with a little bit of sunlight every morning; also known as “light entrainment.” And then you sleep better, and then you feel better!⠀ ⠀ Grab your morning coffee, tea, book, copious pile of assigned readings, morning meeting, and move it to a big wide window ☀️ and say this is really good for your “suprachiasmatic nucleus” to whoever you’re with if you wish to impress 😉 ⠀ ⠀ #myottawa #ottawawinter #ottcity #ottawalife #discoveron #explorecanada #canadagram #canadaphoto #tourcanada #imagesofcanada
Instagram post 2221226686829388223_56014037 Can we all agree that *being* somewhere is awesome but actually *getting there* sort of sucks? DOUBLE TAP if you would like to arrive at your next destination without all the leg and neck cramps of travel!⠀ ⠀ Planes. Trains. 36 hour bus rides from Montreal, Quebec to Greenville, South Carolina when you’re cheap 😅⠀ ⠀ When I was a competitive athlete there were MANY long travel days in my life and I had to arrive ready to race. I learned tips from other athletes, coaches, and doctors to prevent cramps in my legs and soreness in my neck and I still do ALL of the same things when I travel! ⠀ ⠀ I finally wrote all this wisdom up for you - check out my new blog post [LINK IN BIO] on preventing leg cramps, neck pain, and overall travel soreness!⠀ ⠀ P.S. the tips in this post actually apply to any situation where you’re sitting or standing all day! They’re just generally good practices that I actually use in my day-to-day as well.⠀ ⠀ #wanderlust #traveltips #visitcostarica #passionpassport #sheisnotlost #girlsabroad #girlslovetravel #femmetravel
Instagram post 2217958746667354195_56014037 New York City is one of the few places that I’ve visited twice (both times for Harry Potter related events lol) and in an even more rare occurrence I actually even visited one of the attractions twice - the MET.⠀ ⠀ Honestly - did not find any of the paintings that I saw the first time I went that I wanted to see again. Found this and an adjacent hall full of statues that I totally missed the first time around 🤷🏼‍♀️ and the Temple of Dendur (features in Ocean’s 11). This place is HUGE. Have you been anywhere that was gigantic and literally impossible to see in one visit?⠀ ⠀ MET visiting tips:⠀ • tickets are good for 3 days and valid for the The Met Fifth Avenue, The Met Breuer, and The Met Cloisters⠀ • you can buy tickets anytime - you just have to use them within a year⠀ • students are only $12! vs. adults being $25⠀ • don’t eat in the MET - eat at a food cart out front. Way more delicious, much cheaper. ⠀ ⠀ New York City Guide is linked in bio today! It’s got a 2 day sight seeing itinerary, info on the best visitor passes, food, hotels, and things to do.⠀ ⠀ #newyorkcity #newyorkphotographer #visitnyc #girlslovetravel #dametraveler #passionpassport
Instagram post 2216460200474755892_56014037 LET’S PLAY A GAME. There are a lot of you who are new Nina Near and Far so let’s do introductions - in an unusual way. Tell me something BORING about yourself. I’ll kick us off with a few personal examples:⠀ ⠀ 🦷 I wear a mouth guard to sleep. ⠀ ⠀ 💧 I pour myself fresh glasses of water without finishing the last one.⠀ ⠀ 🥄 I don’t like yogurt.⠀ ⠀ Your turn - tell me a boring fact about yourself and see if anyone else posts a boring fact that applies to you too! ⠀ ⠀ 📸 @splashofartistry ⠀ ⠀ #ottawa #ottawalife #girlslovetravel #ottawawinter #winterwonderland
Instagram post 2215726489273859810_56014037 Happy snow days at Jack Pine Trail! ❄️ Winter in Ottawa so far has been straight out of a Hallmark movie some days and I absolutely love it 😍 Nick and I discovered this snow tunnel on one of our bird feeding expeditions!⠀ ⠀ Swipe for a little walk through the tunnel, some snowscape magic - and of course a cute bird.⠀ ⠀ #ottawawinter #myottawa #ottawalife #discoveron #explorecanada #canadaphoto #imagesofcanada #enjoycanada
Instagram post 2213440534470761324_56014037 Who has a winter getaway or day trip coming up and where to?! Or - who could use one? One of my goals for the 2019-2020 winter season was to explore more of Ontario & Quebec in winter and I’m excited for the adventures coming up. One of my favourite ways to spend a winter day in the Ottawa region is at the @nordikspanature_chelsea - There’s nothing quite like relaxing in a hot tub while the snow falls around you ❄️ Fun fact: this is the LARGEST spa in North America.⠀ ⠀ GIVEAWAY CLOSED. Congrats @autumn__clark !!Pssst 🤫 want to win a spa day for you and a friend? Check out my stories for details on how to enter - just for Nina Near and Far followers! [This photo is from a hosted visit. Photos are typically not permitted]. ⠀ ⠀ #myottawa #ottawalife #canadaphoto #explorecanada #apt613 #girlsabroad #girlslovetravel
Instagram post 2212538587672842686_56014037 Hope you had a fabulous New Year’s 🥳 I’m back to posting after 10 days of puzzles, reading, and bird feeding! LET’S TALK GOALS - not just for New Year’s resolutions - why you will fail often, how to recover, and why you need to keep trying. SAVE for inspiration later!⠀ ⠀ ♥️ If you ADMIT YOUR CHALLENGES, you can solve for them. Take note of that excuse you make regularly, the slip up that repeats and find a healthy alternative. I crave sugar mid-afternoon so I pack a handful of dark chocolate-covered almonds. I don’t have to eat them, but if I want to I do. Keeps me from buying junk food!⠀ ⠀ 📖 MAKE LESS DECISIONS. Willpower is absolutely something that you run out of so creating situations/ environments where you don’t need to constantly resist a temptation or think things over is essential. Spend time with friends out at a park or a free museum night/ event rather than a restaurant or a mall if your goal is to save money. Plan this ahead of time!⠀ ⠀ 🧠 Whatever happens, just KEEP STARTING OVER. Constantly but with an ADJUSTED PLAN. Whenever you “fail” observe WHY and if possible, correct for that obstacle going forward. Missed the gym on Thursday and Friday because it turns you actually don’t wash your workout clothes on Wednesday night? Consider buying a couple more things so you can get through a whole week. ⠀ ⠀ 🤔 COGNITIVE BIASES are patterns of non-rational thought (so like - a lot of what we think about ourselves). We OVERESTIMATE what we can accomplish in a day, or a week. We UNDERESTIMATE what we can accomplish in a year, and we are so, so far off when it comes to predicting a decade. Don’t beat yourself up. Progress is progressive, no matter how small, and if you keep doing it a bit every day... you will be amazed at where that gets you 🤩⠀ ⠀ Can you apply these to your resolutions or goals? 👆🏼P.S. I don’t actually love resolutions - I find it silly to put everything on one day. Start anytime! ⠀ 📸 @splashofartistry ⠀ ⠀ #newyearsresolution #ottawawinter #goalsetting #optoutside #wearetravelgirls #academia #myottawa #ottawalife #sheisnotlost
Instagram post 2205289282117524539_56014037 Canada’s tallest Christmas tree! 🎄 Loved seeing this at the CF Toronto Eaton Centre. SWIPE to see 30 seconds condensed in to 6 to appreciate just how busy this place was! What are some of your favourite, public Christmas trees - or other holiday decorations from your own traditions that you love!
Instagram post 2202382789911205738_56014037 17 THINGS TO DO IN OTTAWA BEFORE THE HOLIDAYS END⠀ ⠀ Got your weekend plans yet? I have some ideas for you 🤗 check out the link in my bio for a round up of what’s still going on this holiday season! SAVE THIS POST so you can find it for weekend inspiration.⠀ ⠀ 🎄 Christmas Markets⠀ 🎄 Holiday Dining⠀ 🎄 Christmas Villages⠀ 🎄 Decorations and Trees⠀ 🎄 Holiday Lights⠀ ⠀ LINK IN BIO⠀ ⠀ I’ll be headed out to some small towns to see the decor and probably back to the @ottawa.xmas.market market before it closes for the season! What will you be up to?⠀ ⠀ P.S. win a BeaverTails gift certificate on my previous post! Just a couple more giveaways left...⠀ ⠀ *Permission is required to repost or embed this image. Story reshares welcome*⠀ ⠀ #Myottawa #ottawalife #apt613 #ottawawinter #ottawachristmas #ottawaphoto #facesottawa #topottawaphoto #ottawa #ottawafoodies
Instagram post 2202006271762422964_56014037 GIVEAWAY 🎁 Would anyone like a snack? 😊 I took a friend for his first BeaverTail a couple weeks ago and he was appropriately AMAZED by how delicious they are. Can’t wait to organize a skating + BeaverTails outing in my department to introduce more people to this delicious treat! ⠀ ⠀ BEAVERTAILS⠀ • $30 gift certificate⠀ Open to anyone who lives near BeaverTails/ expects to visit a place with BeaverTails soon! ⠀ ⠀ HOW TO ENTER⠀ • follow @ninanearandfar & @beavertails_official ⠀ • comment with your favourite type of beaver tail + tag a friend. Unlimited entries allowed - comment with your next favourite flavour or when you love to get BeaverTails Comments with no words will not accepted.⠀ ⠀ *Permission is required to repost or embed this image* #myottawa #ottawalife #apt613 #facesottawa #topottawaphoto #ottawa #quebecoriginal #mtlmoments #quebec #yowcity #ottcity #ottawafood #ottawafoodie
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