Adventure with Auntie Adelina

The Karlsruhe-Baden Baden airport departure lounge for the 12:15 p.m. flight to Majorca was filled with people disguised as Americans but speaking German. The dress code was jeans and T-shirts emblazoned with slogans: “The Rolling Stones,” “Jones,” “Beautiful” and “Hollister Surf Club.”
My 95-year-old Aunt Adelina and I were hustled onto a shuttle bus and taken to the Air Berlin jet on the tarmac. One hour and 40 minutes later we landed in Palma de Majorca. The baggage did not arrive as quickly as we would have wished but the German-operated tour bus with the Spanish driver was right on time. We arrived 45 minutes later at the four-star A.P. Hipotel Dunas in Cala Millor where we were welcomed in German and English by the Spanish concierge.
Majorca, the largest of the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea, is situated off the eastern coast of central Spain. Without a shot being fired, it was captured by the sun-loving Germans 50-some years ago. Because of the inexpensive vacation package deals available at that time, it became known as the “Putzfrau Urlaubsort” or “Cleaning Lady’s Vacation Resort.” But today there are high-end resort hotels for the vacation-addicted Germans who generally get four weeks of time off during summer and another two weeks in winter.
The Hipotel Dunas is one of many four-star hotels in Cala Millor. Most of the Spanish staff speak fluent German and English and are extremely helpful. Apart from the vineyards on the island, there is little opportunity for work so a hotel job is appreciated and it certainly reflects in the attitude of the staff.
Traveling with my auntie was quite an adventure. Her delightful sense of humor and zest for life was infectious and I enjoyed hearing her reminisce about growing up with my mother in Lithuania. She is able to walk quite well if she can rest often, but her vision is poor and she is hard of hearing. She refuses to wear a hearing aid because it greatly magnifies surrounding noises—a distant car horn can be extremely loud and painful for her.
The Mediterranean Sea is about 100 meters from the hotel. We enjoyed swimming each afternoon in the warm, salty water and laying on the sand working on our tans. In the current European fashion, braless women were walking around and lying about, but no one seemed to notice except me. I was in for another shocker when—while changing into her beach dress—my aunt took the top off her bathing suit and, for a brief moment, exposed her 95-year-old breasts to the world.
What a sight!
There was more excitement to come. One evening, auntie went to bed and left me watching CNN in the living room. When tried to get into the bedroom, I found she had locked the door. Rather than banging on the door and waking her up, I opted to open the living room door to the balcony and enter the bedroom. As I crept into the dark bedroom, she was startled awake and started yelling “Hilfe! Polizei!”
This feisty lady suffered a lot during and after World War II. She and the family spent time running from the Soviet Army as it advanced into the Baltic States. She and her mother were in refugee camps in Germany and Poland and after the war, wound up back in Lithuania. They, like many others, tried to reclaim the family farm, but all property had become collectivized. Anyone who tried to evict those who had taken their property were sent to Siberia by the Soviet-installed Lithuanian government.
After the war, there was little food and no medicine, so she went door-to-door asking for food from people who had almost nothing themselves. After 15 years, she returned to Germany, where—with the help of the German government—she regained her health, worked and ultimately earned a pension. My Auntie Adelina is a living testament to “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”
For anyone planning a trip with an elderly relative, remember that even though you are supposed to be the designated leader, they lead from behind. I’ve decided the next time we go on vacation, I’ll disguise myself as a German with a T-shirt that reads: “Carpe diem.”