Pirates of the Baltic

You probably aren't going to believe this. I hardly believe it myself, to be completely honest. But there I was in Latvia, minding my own business and enjoying the cold salty air. I suppose I should have seen it coming, with the salty air and all. To make matters worse, it was only two days before International Talk Like A Pirate day. But I was expecting people to - well - TALK like a Pirate, not to actually be one. So you can (almost) imagine my surprise when I was doing a bit of exploring near the harbor, and out jump a pair of Pirates. Before you could say Shiver me timbers, the air was filled with "aarrrrrrrr's" and "iiiiiiiii's" with a few "Avasts" and "maties" thrown in for good measure. My claws are pretty long and sharp, but not nearly as long or sharp as a Pirate's sword, so I knew it was time to set my pride aside, and throw myself on their mercy. I knew it was time to do that, but I decided to start telling them about my many adventures instead. Before long I had them captivated. I was almost ready to make my escape, when suddenly, without warning, they jumped up and ...


... kissed me. YUCK! Next time I'll take my chances with the swords.

I think I may have to protest - something, anything. But more about that later.

Yours,
BB...

New Friends

I know this is going to sound a bit strange, but even though I've been fortunate enough to travel to many interesting places, I've never been on a real vacation before. My many adventures have all been business trips. But that all changed this summer when I went to Europe for a wonderful vacation. I met many interesting people, but the most interesting by far was a monkey called Chateau. He was kind enough to show me around Bruges. It is a most wonderful city, and I highly recommend it.

The one thing that is a bit bad about vacations is that they make you relax more than you really intend to. But now that I'm back at work, I'll be sure to post more pictures from my adventures.

BB...

When I Grow Up...

All this talk about dreams has started me thinking about the future. Traveling the world in search of adventure is wonderful, but surely there must be something more to life. After all, how many different adventures could there possibly be? Okay, okay, I don’t suppose I’m in danger of running out anytime soon, but you know what I mean.

Writing seems to be a natural place to begin. After all, one of the things that I enjoy the most about my travels is telling people all about my adventures. But I need something more, something to attract a wider audience. I’ve been thinking a lot about my adventures at the Winter Olympics, and how I could build on that. I haven’t figured it out quite yet, but I have a few ideas I’m exploring. I’ll let you know more about them soon.

In the meantime, if any of you have ideas, please let me know. I need all the help I can get.

BB…

I Have A Dream Too...

I dream of raw fish and fresh berries for all. I dream of people of all races, and bears too, standing together as equals, eating Sushi. I dream of a day when discrimination is a thing of the past, when bears will no longer look down on humans because they have such pathetic fur. This is my dream. Maybe it isn't as important as the dreams that some people have, but give me a break. I'm only a small bear.

BB...

Not For Bears...

The Cherry Blossoms are definitely worth seeing, the Cherry Blossom Princesses make excellent ambassadors for their state, and the monuments are truly - well - monumental. At least that's what I was told. I'm hoping to check it out for myself when I finally get to the top of these stairs. They may be the perfect size for people, but it is clear they were not designed with bears in mind. Especially not small bears. Unfortunately I find that a lot. Oh well. If the monument is half as impressive as the stairs, it will have been well worth the effort.

Wish me luck!

BB...

I Thought It Would Be Bigger...

I must say that the Cherry Blossom Princess from New Jersey was a great ambassador for her state. She was so enthusiastic about New Jersey that she convinced me it was someplace I really should see. I told my traveling companion to add it to my list of “must see” places.

You can imagine my surprise when later that afternoon I found myself in New Jersey. At least that is what the sign said, though I’m not completely convinced it is the same place that the Cherry Blossom Princess was talking about. She'd made it sound so much – well – bigger. But this New Jersey was still pretty impressive. I guess I’ll need to do some research to find out if there is another New Jersey that I really should see.

BB…

Cherry Blossom Time

The idea of a "Bernard Bear Channel" has got me thinking, but I can't quite figure out what to do with it. While I was busy pondering the possibilities, my traveling companion was busy arranging a trip to Washington DC to see the Cherry Blossoms. It really is nice having a traveling companion!

It turns out that Cherry Blossoms are not at all like Bears. Bears love the cold, but one little frost, and the Cherry Blossoms are pretty well finished. I did see a few, but they were much better last week (or so I'm told). Fortunately the people were as friendly as ever. I even got some ideas for future adventures. West Virginia was mentioned, but the most highly recommended destination was New Jersey. I've never been to New Jersey before - I wonder what interesting things there are to see there. Perhaps I need to talk to my traveling companion about this.

BB...