The Roman Family's Berlin Bear

*Dedicated to meine Familie

If you didn't know already, Berlin's mascot is a bear. About 10 years ago, tons of life-sized bear sculptures were created for businesses, artists, and people to decorate and then display around the city. About 7-8 years ago, I visited Berlin with my family for not even one full day. It was the end of a 2 1/2 week long trip to Prague, Vienna, and Krakow, and we had a long layover in Berlin before heading back to the states. We were tired, cranky, and the weather kinda stunk, so Berlin did not leave a good impression on us.

One of the very few things I remembered about the city (other than a Marijuana Festival at the Brandenburger Tor...) were the bears, specifically one in particular that was right next to our hotel. On our family vacations, I was always the designated photographer, so I whipped out my camera and took these gorgeous pictures of Brother Kyle with the bear:

Bro with the bear

Wow, he looks young!

We never thought of the bear again. I didn't even think about it when Jack and I moved here. Heck, I couldn't even tell you where we stayed or where this bear was. I basically totally forgot about our day in Berlin, the bear, and the pictures of Brother Kyle. Then, on a run around Berlin a month ago, I saw this...

It's the Bear!!!

Keep in mind, this picture was taken roughly 7-8 years later...can you tell? It was as if the bear was frozen in time. As soon as I ran by the bear, it all came flying back to me. I remembered my trip as if it had happened yesterday. So, I immediately sent brother Kyle this picture (after I ran home, showered, and ate breakfast of course). 

Since then, I have passed this bear on numerous occasions, most recently with Mutti when she was visiting.

So this bear has seen 3/4 of the Roman Family on different occasions, and is (un)officially the Roman Berlin Bear. Let's go, Pops! You're next!