Has any one else had a coincidence like this ?

[Ron Goldstein]

I wonder if any other members had had a similar experience to the one I had late last year.

The strange story starts off with me browsing the inter-net with “Trieste…Ron Goldstein” in the search box.

On an Italian website named “A Trieste” I found the following paragraph.

“Go' visto la Carmen con ela al Bastion Fiorito nel lontan 1946 in mezzo e un gruppo de Militari Inglesi. (assieme a un che se ciamava "RON GOLDSTEIN" from unit 4th Queen's Own Hussars., El saveva qualche parola de Talian. Papa' mio gaveva incioda' sulle scarpe 200 feretti, perche' coi batteva i tacchi i fazeva un casin e i tacchi se consumava.”

My written Italian has never been brilliant so I sent a link to the site to my good friend Peter G and asked him to translate the article for me.

I received the following edited reply:

Ron

This is quite amazing. It is in Triestino dialect, a form of Venetian.

Now for this quite amazing post in English:

“I saw her in Carmen at the Bastion Fiorito in distant 1946 together with a group of British soldiers. I was with a soldier called Ron Goldstein of the 4th Hussars, he had a smattering of Italian. My father had put what seemed like 200 hobnails in his army boots with which he made a devil of a racket, being heavy-wearing on his heels".

You quite evidently impressed that young Italian girl Ron!

Peter


I immediately contacted the website and after registering was able to post the following leter to Maria by e-mail:

Dear Maria

First of all I apologise for writing to you in English but all will soon be revealed !

I found my name mentioned on an Italian website : http://www.atrieste.org
My very good friend Peter G. kindly translated it as follows:

I saw her (Margarita Carosio) in Carmen at the Bastion Fiorito in distant 1946 together with a group of British soldiers. I was with a soldier called Ron Goldstein of the 4th Hussars, he had a smattering of Italian. My father had put what seemed like 200 hobnails in his army boots with which he made a devil of a racket, being heavy-wearing on his heels".

I have to now reveal that I am indeed the Ron Goldstein, of the 4th Queen's Own Hussars who attended that performance of Carmen and I attach a photo taken about that time to remind you how I looked
I also give you now a link to my personal profile so you can see how I look today, do prepare yourself for a shock ! http://www.blogger.com/profile/17035008

Please write to remind me how we both came to be at the same concert and I will be delighted to send you links to many other photos and stories of those times.

With all good wishes
Ciao !
Ron
ps My wife Nita, to whom I have been married for 57 wonderful years, also sends her best wishes !

The end result is that I now post regularly on the English Section of the “a Trieste” site and, later this year, hope to pay a return visit there, the first for over sixty years !

[Owen]

Isn't the internet great Ron? Good story.

[Kyt]

That's superb, Ron.

And I love the postscript - covering your back (to paraphrase Kitty's comment on your photo, very smart with all those medals!).

[morse1001]

very good story!

[Ron Goldstein]

Gents

The best is yet to come !

Maria turned out to have been 10 years old at the time, had gone to the concert with a group of schoolchildren and was told to stand next to the British soldiers for security reasons. She apparently spoke to me and made a note in her diary of my name and unit.

When you have the time, go to the site and check the story out !!!!

Ron

[PeterG]

Originally Posted by Ron Goldstein

When you have the time, go to the site and check the story out !!!!

The full thread is here: A Trieste ... :: View topic - A British soldier remembers Trieste in 1946

Serendipity is a marvellous thing. Good luck with the trip Ron. We want pics when you come back.

[51highland]

Thats a brilliant story, let us know how it all pans out, Thanks!!

[BulgarianSoldier]

Good story Ron. The feeling to meet some one you saw almost 60 years ago is unbalivable maybe.

Also check this old topic writed by spidge http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/real-li...goldstein.html

[Ron Goldstein]

Hi everybody and many thanks for the compliments !

I'm glad you liked the story.... they say the best ones are the true ones and if you live long enough you get to have lots of them happen to you

The irony of it all is that Maria now lives in Australia and therefore it is hardly likely we will meet-up in Trieste during our proposed three day visit (my wife and I are moving on from there for a week's break in Venice).

To end this particular saga may I tell you another completely true episode of life in the Trieste of 1946 ?

Every Sunday evening a small coterie from my Squadron used to make our way from the barracks at Opicina and descend upon the streets of Trieste.
We used to see a film, have a bite to eat and then, being of a certain age group, we would settle down to some serious bar crawling.

We would start at some very prestigious bar, usually with live music being played and the drinks priced accordingly. After a few drinks someone would suggest that we moved on and we would find another bar where the decor was not quite as nice but the drinks were certainly cheaper.

By the time we were approaching the deadine of the "last truck home" we were drinking at "Mama's". Now "Mama's" was rock bottom of it's class. A dingy, soul-less place and the only furniture, apart from a few battered chairs were two huge vats of vino taking up the whole of one side of the bar. The drinks however were so cheap that however broke we were we could still afford them and the bonus was we could even sell part of our clothing to the accomodating barman, usually an undergarment so that we could pass muster at the guard room on our return to Monfalcone.

Came one particular Sunday and we were all strapped for cash.

Some bright spark suggested that we start our bar-crawl at Mama's instead of at the end of the evening, the joke was that we didn't know the address and sober we couldn't find the damn place !

Just thought I'd share this with you.....

Cheers

Ron














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