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Nina Near and Far

How to have adventures near and far.

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Author: ninanearandfar

Posted on February 19, 2020February 19, 2020

4 Days in Iceland: Suggested Itinerary and Travel Guide

Waterfalls, geysers, and thermal pools await.

  • Iceland
  • Travel
by ninanearandfar0 comment
4 Days in Iceland: Suggested Itinerary and Travel Guide
Posted on January 12, 2020January 13, 2020

How to Prevent Leg Cramps After Flying (and Other Travel Soreness)

Leg cramps? Sore neck?

  • Packing Guides
  • Travel
  • travel tips
by ninanearandfar0 comment
How to Prevent Leg Cramps After Flying (and Other Travel Soreness)
Posted on January 5, 2020January 12, 2020

Things to do in Halifax: The Best Restaurants, Bars, & Attractions

Halifax is a coastal Canadian city that belongs(more…)

  • Halifax
  • Nova Scotia
  • Travel
by ninanearandfar0 comment
Things to do in Halifax: The Best Restaurants, Bars, & Attractions
Posted on December 16, 2019June 14, 2020

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

There’s still holiday magic in the air!

  • Ottawa-Gatineau Winter
by ninanearandfar0 comment
Christmas in Ottawa: 17 Things to Do Before the Holidays End
Posted on November 20, 2019December 16, 2019

10 Tips for Safe Driving in Ottawa: Stay Safe While Driving This Winter

Driving can get you where you need to(more…)

  • Ottawa
  • Ottawa-Gatineau Winter
by ninanearandfar0 comment
10 Tips for Safe Driving in Ottawa: Stay Safe While Driving This Winter
Posted on November 11, 2019February 20, 2020

14 Spectacular Winter Getaways in Ontario and Quebec

There’s a long stretch of winter in Canada(more…)

  • montreal
  • Ontario
  • Ottawa
  • Ottawa-Gatineau Winter
  • Quebec
  • Travel
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  • Winter Getaways
by ninanearandfar0 comment
14 Spectacular Winter Getaways in Ontario and Quebec
Posted on November 3, 2019January 12, 2020

40+ of the Best U.S.A. Destinations for a Weekend Getaway

There are so many fantastic places to see(more…)

  • Travel
  • United States
by ninanearandfar1 comment
40+ of the Best U.S.A. Destinations for a Weekend Getaway
Posted on October 15, 2019November 4, 2019

Ottawa Fall Colours: The Best Places and Day Trips

It’s not just Gatineau Park

  • Ontario
  • Ottawa-Gatineau Autumn
by ninanearandfar0 comment
Ottawa Fall Colours: The Best Places and Day Trips
Posted on October 2, 2019September 28, 2020

The Top Things to do in Ottawa in Fall

Ottawa in Fall is absolutely beautiful. The Ottawa-Gatineau(more…)

  • Ottawa
  • Ottawa-Gatineau Autumn
by ninanearandfar0 comment
The Top Things to do in Ottawa in Fall
Posted on September 20, 2019December 27, 2019

10 Super Simple Travel Photography Tips to Instantly Enhance Your Photos

Composition is key!

  • Photography
  • Travel
by ninanearandfar0 comment
10 Super Simple Travel Photography Tips to Instantly Enhance Your Photos
Posted on September 9, 2019June 14, 2020

Epic Ottawa Adventures for Every Season

Get the adrenaline pumping.

  • canada
  • Ontario
  • Ottawa
  • Ottawa-Gatineau Adventures
  • Outdoor Adventures
by ninanearandfar1 comment
Epic Ottawa Adventures for Every Season
Posted on August 29, 2019December 27, 2019

Halifax to Peggy’s Cove & Lunenburg Day Trip Guide

The essential day trip from Halifax.

  • canada
  • Halifax
  • Nova Scotia
  • Press
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by ninanearandfar0 comment
Halifax to Peggy’s Cove & Lunenburg Day Trip Guide

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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.

The downtown has been pretty quiet lately. It seem The downtown has been pretty quiet lately. It seems that with less people out and about, fantastical creatures have begun to explore our little city 🐉 
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My renewed love of fiction and fantasy novels has been keeping me sane and entertained these days. I got so immersed in the last series I read that I went an entire week without watching any shows or movies (not typical for me lol). As you can see, I have decided to let fantasy and reality be one and the same for now 😉 It’s just more fun that way. If you spotted a dragon flying over, what would you do?
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#MyOttawa #OttawaWinter #OttawaLife #TopOttawaPhoto #FacesOttawa
Winter magic ❄️ Days like this make me feel li Winter magic ❄️ Days like this make me feel like I’m walking into Narnia 🥰 I woke up this morning and couldn’t help but immediately make my way into the snowscape! It’s a beautiful day for a walk in Ottawa so I hope you get out to enjoy it. 
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Speaking of snowscapes! What are your favourite winter scenes from movies or books?
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#MyOttawa #OttawaWinter #OttawaLife #TopOttawaPhoto #FacesOttawa
BIRTHDAY: 27 🎂 🎉 ⁣ Well... the last year h BIRTHDAY: 27 🎂 🎉
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Well... the last year has been a bit strange, wouldn’t you say? Still... I am grateful for so much. Here are some things I did and some things I did not end up doing!
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📚 I proposed my thesis, received ethics approval, and collected data. 2 days ago I finished the last course of my MSc - just my thesis write-up left!
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🚗 I visited Montreal and Montebello early in the year and 1,000 Islands National Park in the summer.
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✈️ I did not go to Denmark 🇩🇰 Croatia 🇭🇷 Hungary 🇭🇺 or Newfoundland 🇨🇦 so I have a lot of airline credits.
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🥙 I learned that there is grocery shopping, and there is pandemic grocery shopping. I infinitely prefer grocery shopping.
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 🖥 I designed and produced a virtual orientation for the Telfer MBA and MHA programs.
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📑 My research side projects got sidelined because of COVID-19.
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🗽 I started teaching virtual workshops for a non-profit in NYC that supports underprivileged women entering the workforce.
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😔 My Dad died. 10 months ago. I remember the last time I celebrated my birthday with him and everything was so different then. ❤️❤️❤️
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🏡 Nick and I moved downtown. It felt like a funny thing to do with all the closures, but we absolutely love it here.
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💻 The most popular posts on Nina Near and Far flipped entirely - from multi-day itineraries in big cities to small towns outside of Ottawa!
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🥈 I placed 2nd in the Telfer Thesis Competition.
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😴 I am very, very tired. Not tired from the week, or the semester, but cumulatively tired from a very hard year. I am glad I didn’t give up on my goals. I’m also exhausted and very, very excited for a Christmas break of sleep and novels.
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⭐️ Many of you know that I am applying for PhD programs... and have I ever got the A Team. The support and encouragement I have received throughout this process has been incredible.
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Thanks for being with me another year ☺️ I won’t pretend to know what the next year has in store but if we stick together, we’ll be okay ❤️
‘Tis the season to get scoffed at by chickadees ‘Tis the season to get scoffed at by chickadees every time you run out of sunflower seeds... but it’s fine because they’re adorable 😍 Have you hand fed birds before? 
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Here are a couple of great @ncc_ccn trails to feed the birds around Ottawa:
• Mer Bleue
• Jack Pine Trail
• Stony Swamp
• Chapman Mills
• Sarsaparilla Trail 
• Shirley’s Bay
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#myOttawa #Ottawa #OttawaWinter
O, Christmas tree! 🤩 The Lights at Landsdowne a O, Christmas tree! 🤩 The Lights at Landsdowne are absolutely beautiful and the skating rink at night is pure magic. I’m so glad they went ahead with the lights this year even though the Christmas Market wasn’t able to go ahead. It’s such a nice destination to enjoy some time outside!
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I vote we revert to Daylight Time so it stops getting dark at 4PM and keep the pretty lights up until Spring! ✨ Who is with me? 🙋🏼‍♀️ 
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#ottawa #ottawalife #myottawa #facesottawa #topottawaphoto #christmasphotoshoot #christmasphotos
OTTAWA IN DECEMBER: HOLIDAY LIGHTS & VILLAGES ❄️ 
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It looks like winter is finally here to stay! And there is actually enough to do in Ottawa right now (following public safety guidelines of course) for a round up post. December is in just a few days but a lot of things start this weekend! Hit SAVE for when you need a fun activity this holiday season!
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HOLIDAY LIGHTS & VILLAGES
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✨ Christmas Lights Across Canada starts November 30 throughout Ottawa.
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✨ @saundersfarmfun is hosting a drive-through Light & Sounds Show at night and a Country Christmas during the day.
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✨ @enchantedottawa is taking over an old go kart for their drive-through light show
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✨ Lights at Lansdowne kicks off November 27. Ottawa’s biggest Christmas tree is back! The skating rink will also be open ⛸
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✨ Alight at Night is back at @uppercanadavill - bundle up and enjoy the lights in Bundle up for an evening stroll through this picture-perfect postcard setting! Over one million lights adorn the heritage buildings,
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✨ Magic of Lights Ottawa is on at @thewcparks (drive-through)
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✨ Visit the Christmas village at @stanleysoldemaplelanefarm - perfect for kids! Visit the elves and explore the village.
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✨ Step back in time at the Vintage Village of Lights at the Cumberland Heritage Village @cumberlandmuseum 
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✨ Take the family to @ianschristmaspark for Christmas trees, rope mazes, and wagon rides.
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Prefer to stay in? Check out 10 Ottawa Experiences to Have at Home for fun ways to support local businesses and have unique experiences in your own home 🥰 
 
#myottawa #ottawa #ottawaphoto
Good news from my academic life! 😍 (From a virt Good news from my academic life! 😍 (From a virtual event for which I have exactly zero photos lol)
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On October 23 I competed in a thesis competition among Masters and Ph.D. research students in my department. My presentation won 2nd place! 🥈 SWIPE for a snippet of my slides. 
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My work examines how leadership impacts the way that employees experience stress at work (positively as challenges or as something threatening and hindering). I developed a theory of how leaders might be able to do this - by promoting a few different psychological states or mindsets in employees - and I’m just about done collecting date to test me hypotheses! During the Q&A of the presentation I shared the story of my former co-worker passing away from depression last Fall as an example of a stressful experience that can not be construed as a positive (and therefore falls outside of the theory I explore through my research). I plan to donate 10% of my prize money to an organization that supports men’s mental health in memory of my co-worker ❤️❤️❤️
Remembrance Day 🖤❤️ I absolutely love the R Remembrance Day 🖤❤️ I absolutely love the Remembrance Day projections on the @nac.cna 😍 It’s a on a loop with some other neat projections so I had to wait a while between photos! I needed two photos for this final shot (foreground in focus and background in focus) and it took a few attempts to get the poppies where I wanted them. Glad I waited because I love how this turned out!
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November is usually a prime fundraising opportunity for the Royal Canadian Legion through poppy sales. Unsurprisingly, poppy sales are lower than usual this year. The Royal Canadian Legion accepts online donations from $5 and up ☺️ I already made a donation and the link is my bio if you would like to do the same. #myottawa #remembranceday #remembranceday2020 #ottawalife #topottawaphoto
Reconnecting with the things that make me happy 🥰 📷 
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I often tie photography to travel, events, and activities so with the big reduction in all of those things this year I sort of forgot how much I love being out with my camera!We are at the end of the outdoor cycling but still a ways off from skating and snowshoeing season. I decided that returning to photography for it’s own sake would be a good way to get out and about that feels purposeful and can be done safely with a friend.
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This year more than ever I think it’s important to have a plan for movement and getting out; especially if you’re still working from home like me! Even with the hopeful news today there is a long winter ahead. What are you doing to keep moving and get out of the house? 
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📸 @passportunities #myottawa #ottawa #ottawalife
Looking back on beautiful Fall days! 🍁 Here’s Looking back on beautiful Fall days! 🍁 Here’s a safe day trip idea for the beautiful weekend of sunshine and warm weather ahead: make your way to Wakefield, QC. Park in town and walk to the covered bridge. On the walk back, stop at the Wakefield bakery and get a treat to enjoy by the water!
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Other ideas:
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☀️ Visit an @ncc_ccn trail like Jack Pine or Mer Bleue and take bird seed!
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☀️ Enjoy the final weekend of @oneworldbazaar and mention Nina Near and Far for 10% off your purchase (on purchases up to $500) 
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☀️ Enjoy Afternoon Tea at the now-reopened Zoey’s restaurant at @fairmontlaurier 
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☀️ Support a local restaurant with a patio. Inside dining also returns this Saturday, November 7! 
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☀️ Shop local. The weather is perfect for bopping between local shops.
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What are your plans for the weekend?
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