In a nod to family history, Paps Explorers’ Lounge bar on the Viking Polaris is named for Torstein Hagen’s father.  Torstein is the chairman of Viking.

From his family’s little red house in Nittedal, Norway, Paps became a CPA by correspondence course. Every day, he bicycled from his home to the historic Rotnes Bruk estate where he applied his accounting skills.

Paps was well loved for his winning sense of humor, his unwavering work ethic, his taste for licorice, the pencil always kept handy behind his ear and his love of family.

Paps was so popular that during one election year, he got his name on the ballot for both parties. In 1945, Crown Prince Olav of Norway decorated him for his resistance during World War II.

Paps remained a man of and for the people with such large attendance that there was standing-room-only at the church for his memorial service.

Paps’ favorite brandy special is served in the bar at the Explorers’ Lounge on the Viking Polaris  for $5. The drink calls for one third brandy from Norway’s Vinmonopol (the state-owned company with sole rights to sell beverages containing more than 4.75 percent alcohol), two-thirds hot water and one packet of brown sugar.

Every evening, my brother Joe and I liked to conclude our adventurous day by sitting by the fireplace at Paps, listening to musical duo Zee and Dee and savoring a drink while the Viking Polaris cruised through the night.

Photos by Jackie Sheckler Finch

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