City of the bear and the strawberry tree

Magnet #715 - Madrid

My sisters brought this one back from Spain for me.

That's a she-bear on this city's coat of arms, which originated back in the Middle Ages - apparently because bears were everywhere back in the day. The stars around the coat supposedly represent the stars in the Ursa Minor constellation.

They added a strawberry tree, because those were found everywhere, and provided much needed sustenance to the local fauna.

When I was little every once in a while, we'd visit one of mom's patients to pick strawberries. But, I've never seen a strawberry tree.

Then again, I've never seen a bear, either. Hmph.