A Tale of Two Paddingtons

Often when I read a book there seems to be a thread from the book I just read to the book I am reading now. It might be a character name, or a location, or some obscure fact that appears in two different books. Currently it is the name Wes. I read "The Other Wes Moore," then Wes was a background character in "The Lost Baker of Vienna," and now he is a small character in "Humor Me." 

While this happens a lot with books, I hadn't noticed the connection on vacation. Sure, most cafes around the world seem to play 80s pop music, which is the music I grew up with so I roll with it and smile feeling instantly at home, and also a little annoyed they are not playing local tunes. This really stood out when we dined at Basilica in Cusco, Peru where they played Bossa Nova versions of 80s pop.

I was surprised, though, when a certain bear became a vacation theme. I first noticed Paddington Bear in London, where he stars in a show on the West End. When I saw him a month later in Lima, Peru I was convinced he followed me. I was also very travel lagged (same time zone, so technically not jet lagged).

London

Lima

Paddington fans reading this are screaming "of course he'd be in both places!" After all, he is put on a boat from "darkest Peru" and arrives at London's Paddington Station where he begins to have the adventures that are recorded in Michael Bond's books. 

I did a double take wondering what other connections I would make on our journey.