We were fortunate to secure a spot on a 10 day photographic expedition around the Svalbard Archipelago with Exodus (Quark Expeditions) and Paul Goldstein, a UK professional photographer. The trip was on the Akademik Sergey Vavilov, a small polar research ship leased from the Russian Academy of Sciences, with a capacity of around 100 passengers. We had many priceless moments, but the encounters with polar bears and cubs were the highlights. We hope you enjoy our favorite images from this "trip of a lifetime".