“[Bettina], the 48-year-old German has been living at the [Palma de Mallorca] airport - known as Son Sant Joan - for 10 years, pushing her three suitcases, a blanket, a pile of books and her white cat, Mumu, around with her. Referred to in the airport simply as "the woman with the cat", Bettina has become as much a part of the airport as the planes and runways.
Bettina, who refuses to disclose her full name, is from a small town in southern Germany. She arrived in Mallorca more than 10 years ago for a new start after a relationship ended and she lost her office job… she began living in the airport, where she gets by on the kindness of friends or strangers. "One friend brings me something to eat twice a week. Sometimes people give me a bit of money as well, but I don't ask anyone for anything."
Amid the bustle of the airport, Bettina is often seen quietly reading, dressed smartly in jeans and a sweatshirt. She cleans herself and her clothes in the toilets, while departure lounge seats serve as beds. But she has no desire to return to Germany. "No way. Life is better for me here."
She is popular among airport staff. "She is intelligent, discreet and does not bother anyone…”
This story is, of course, reminiscent of the plot of the Tom Hanks movie "The Terminal." That movie, however, was based on the story of another man. But, in looking it up, I ran across this interesting tidbit:
In Viktor's documents there is a strange entry - "ЕЩЬ РФТЛЫ". If typed in English on standard 102/105 keyboard, these cyrillic letters will give you a name - "TOM HANKS".
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