“Lisa, don’t plan on seeing any polar bears.”

Nanine warned me not to get too excited about seeing polar bears.  She said I may see some musk oxen, walruses, birds…but not to set my heart on seeing any polar bears.

We saw our first on Svalbard on our second day.  Then on Greenland we saw another.  And another.  And another.  In total, we saw 14 polar bears!!!

Even with a big zoom lens, my photos aren’t crisp, but here are some of my favorite polar bear pics!  Some images are of the same bear in different “poses”; others are of different bears.  

August 6:  First bear sighting (Ny Ålesund and the island Blomstrandhalvøya)

August 6:  Same bear doing downward dog…I mean, downward bear

August 6:  Same bear – rub my belly, please

August 6:  Same bear – look at those paws!

August 6:  Same bear – “Who you looking at?”

August 10:  First Greenland bear

August 10:  Same bear looking right at me…or so it seems!

August 11:  This bear, sighted on an isthmus while we were walking, required us to evacuate to Kinfish.  Alex and Lauren, using very calm yet higher pitched voices, directed us to retreat.  The photo is very cropped and blurry – how Lauren and Alex could see the bear from so far away is a mystery!

August 11:  Bear Convention!  We saw FIVE bears!!!  The guess is there was some carcass they were enjoying…or a meeting of the bear minds!

August 11:  Bear Convention – unusual to see bears together unless a mother and cub

August 11:  Bear Convention – those paws!

August 11:  Bear Convention – looking right at me and seeing…?

August 11:  Bear Convention – sitting like a doggie

August 11:  Bear Convention – walking over the rocks

August 13:  Mama bear and her cubs