August 9

Monacobreen and Sylicabreen

We awoke to the gentle knocking of our coffee-bearing waiter at 6:30 am. We both groaned, until the irresistible smell of coffee drew me from under the warm covers. I raised the shade to see clear blue skies. Gary's eyeballs were bombarded with full sun. He gasped in shock and, I think, a bit of pain.

We were starting to dress around 7 am when the PA system crackled: bear on ice at 12 o'clock about ¾ of a mile in front of the ship. Adrenaline kicked in, and we were hoofing it to the bridge for our bear-on-ice sighting.

Bear Idol has now entered the semi-final round, and this morning's entry has raised the bar. He was standing on an ice floe, with a fresh seal carcass on the other end. Birds were grabbing tender morsels of seal as the bear tried to size up the purpose and nature of our mission. Our captain slowly sailed us into the floe's vicinity, until the bear decided he wanted to protect his seal prize. He lumbered over and chased the birds away, only to lose the seal between his legs. The bear stared between his legs, then stretched over the edge and slid into the water. All this before 8 am! We hurried back to check our photos (two good ones apiece) and clear the cards before we suited up for a zodiac cruise.

How could a glacier cruise possibly top this outing? We repeated our mantra: We will never be here again so take full advantage! We pulled Robin, the expedition leader and Lasso, our bear guide, as our zodiac staff. Off we headed to learn about glaciers.

The glaciers thought better of a sedate cruise. We heard the first clap of white thunder .. and a portion of the glacier calved. PEEPS were heard from the several zodiacs on the water. Robin stopped the lecture and said “Lasso, hit it!” and off we cruised at higher speed towards the calving. CRRRAAAACK .. RUMBLE .. TUMBLE .. SPRAY .. REBOUND WAVE. The calved ice broke up quickly and speedily headed towards us into the open waters of the fjord. We must have seen 10 different places where the glacier calved in about 80 minutes' time. An upwelling of the melt ice brought lots of food out for the birds in one cave, meaning thousands of birds were in a feeding frenzy. That lasted until THAT section of the glacier calved. A piece of ice rose suddenly from the floor, taking several unsuspecting birds on a one-way trip to Davy Jones' locker. The loss of bird life must have numbered at least a hundred. Thousands more were flying around like crazy, having managed to flee with their lives.

What more could we ask for? It was time for the Seabourn Smackdown .. sure, they sometimes have caviar in the surf. We had Champagne and Strawberries on Ice – Arctic Ice. Our captain had stealthily brought out his zodiac, loaded the dining room manager, executive chef, hotel director and a few waiters out with a champagne and chocolate covered strawberry snack for the guests. ARCTIC all went in for seconds (duh) and continued to sip champagne and watch for more calving glaciers and rattled birds. We got a group photo WITHOUT capsizing the zodiac. Lasso, our bear guide, gave us a quick lesson on which bullets to use, and in what order, when a polar bear threatens. Pepper spray was roundly rejected as a safe and effective alternative. We asked Lasso if he lived in northernmost NORGES .. he said, “Why no. I live in Oslo and am a social worker for people who have suffered brain damage.” Great fit for our group, don't you think?

We settled back onboard for POOCH or Hearts, or photo sorting before lunch. We had good news and bad news: first, the trappers would welcome 125 visitors to their hut (so long as we bring some beer). Bad news? The Captain's rule has been invoked: a mother polar bear and her cub are on the land between us and the trappers. Zodiac cruise only; hopefully with today's second Bear Idol semi-final contestant. We are promised another wet, bumpy ride. Bear Idol contestant #2 got off to a slow start, as people and cameras were soaked in short order. We got into the bay, where she was resting on a rocky area. We circled .. and circled .. and she raised her head then resumed her slumber. Just as we were ready to turn back, the cub decided to nurse. Talk about snatching the Bear Idol daily title straight out of the jaws of defeat! The cuteness factor zoomed northward as the cub played and nursed with its mom. She held her right paw so carefully out of its way .. and all of those claws were in sharp contrast to the tender scene unfolding before our soggy eyes. I'm pretty sure there were 2 cubs, but we could only see the one clearly. The rain was lightening up as we headed back to the ship. Hopefully, the second group will get some pictures and get less wet in the process.

Some bears will do ANYTHING for the national geographic gig .. and we are the lucky beneficiaries of another fantastic day of wildlife and nature on parade.