Polar Bears

On return to the ship the hunger was back and it was time for a late second breakfast. That was followed by a lecture by our ice master, giving an overview of his life as an icebreaker captain in the Canadian coastguard.

Prior to lunch we were invited to join for the traditional Hanseatic Pølser Party on the pool deck. Danish-style hot dogs (pølser) were waiting for us, plus a nice selection of drinks (from vodka and sparkling wine to nice hot mulled wine). They even had a crew member in a polar bear costume.

The party came to a sudden end, when the bridge announced a “Polar Bear Alert”. At first I thought it was a joke and simply referring to the crew member dressed up as a polar bear … but when the announcement continued saying portside ahead, it was clear we were dealing with the real thing.

Everyone was on deck now, all with their full photo equipment. At first we were quiet far away, however the captain managed to maneuver the ship closer, so that we really had them just some meters away from the ship. We watched them, they watched us – though they were clearly less impressed of us than us of them.