A Conversation with a Stranger at a Bakery in Sydney

Sydney, Australia

It was about 10:30 am on an August winter day and I was sitting outside on the sidewalk bench of a bakery in Sydney. A warm flatwhite in my hand and my eyes were glued to a book. I’d found the exact angle where the light from the sun overhead didn’t blind me, but where it hit my body just right for enough warmth.

Suddenly an older man came up to me, almost making me jump. Max.

I’d been so enthralled in my book I hadn’t even noticed him walk in or out of the bakery. He asked if he could sit on the other side of the bench and I said of course.

I think he had seen me dialing in my sitting posture for the sun to hit just right while reading because he proceeded to tell me the exact times of the day that are perfect for sitting on that bench when the morning light hits just right. I gather that he too, enjoys reading on this bench in front of the bakery.

Then he immediately started talking about running.

I hadn’t even told him I’m a runner. But for some reason, he chose the subject of running and went down the rabbit hole of marathons.

“I’ve run Paris once and Stockholm marathon twice,” he shared with me. “The second time I ran Stockholm the course officials put a thermometer on the asphalt and it read 41 degrees.”

Then he told me he used to live on the Boston Marathon course. He had gone to MIT and his wife to Harvard. He has spoken at conferences all over the world about chemistry. I’m not sure if he’s a professor, but he must be someone important in the chemistry world. From our conversation, I could tell he’s been all over the world speaking at chemistry conferences.

He told me about being in Moscow with the czars on a boat. He told me about being in India, where he had a near-death experience. He told me about being in Bogotá in the late 70s during a curfew and that police would check his papers at every corner.

He told me that in 2020 he stopped using social media and learned Japanese and French. Coincidentally those are two languages that interest me to learn.

He told me he had been to Japan 26 times and goes to France every year to teach winemaking in the mountains near Strasbourg. He leaves for France next week.

He also taught me the Japanese word for “Japan” is “Nihon”. Made me curious as to what other countries’ native words for the country name I don’t even know. He easily switched from Japanese to French, to Spanish. I wish I could do that at his age. Heck, at my age. Perhaps he’s inspired me to go learn a new language. Might be ambitious, but if a 75-year-old can do it, maybe I can too.

Max said he’s from a 2,000-person town on the outskirts of Sydney but calls Sydney home.

After we said goodbye and parted ways, I saw him walking back to me. “Put in a good word for Sydney in your world travels,” he said with a smile and wave, then walked away.

After he walked away it dawned on me that I hadn’t even told him about my world travels. I had just told him I left home three months ago… And I hadn’t told him I have a blog or that I’m writing about my travels. It’s almost like he knew. Just like he somehow knew about running.

It made me a bit sad knowing I’m never going to see him again. But our interaction was the highlight of my day. Running and world travel stories from a 70-something year-old man.

I’ve had the most interesting conversations with strangers over the past three months.

An update from me is that I’m currently in Sydney staying at the apartment of a new friend I made at a hostel in Goreme, Turkey. My new friend Rhianna and I had road-tripped in central Turkey just shy of a month ago. When my travel plans spontaneously led me to Sydney, I messaged her. She had told me she was traveling for work but that I could stay at her house anyways.

So here I am, at a person’s house who I met once in my life and who is so kind enough to let me stay here while she’s not even home. Turns out her roommate, Jake, who’s from Western Australia actually spent his high school years in Tampa, Florida. I grew up not too far from there and turns out we even have mutual friends.

Coincidentally the bakery where I met Max turned out to be the same bakery where Jake works. As if the world isn’t small enough.