Three times everyday during the summer, there’s a man in Ålesund, Norway who helps the crew of the Hurtigruten ship set anchor. He has been volunteering for many years, even after becoming a millionaire on a lottery win.
Hurtigruten Cruises: See the Famous Norway Fjords on one of these Coastal Voyages.
Norway Cruises
Our group of tired but happy travel writers arrive at the Hurtigruten dock in Ålesund to catch our midnight coastal voyage to Bergen. Also awaiting its arrival is an older gentleman standing by himself with a reflector vest on, watching the ship come in.
The crew on board yell “Hello!” and then throw him a rope to secure the boat. All looks as it should.
Hurtigruten Cruises
As the vessel lumbers slowly in, though, I’m told by a local that this man on shore is not part of the crew. He’s just a regular man who loves the Hurtigruten ships and meets them every time they dock in Ålesund, three times a day in the summer and two times a day during the rest of the year.
He is also a millionaire. A few years back he won the lottery, I’m told, but nothing changed: he still shows up to help the Hurtigruten dock and you wouldn’t ever guess that he has a few bucks stashed away.
His actions speak to the character of the Norwegians, I think. They seem humble, content and hard working, even once they hit the jackpot.
Read more articles about Norway here.
(I travelled as a guest of the Eurail Group, Visit Norway and Visit Ålesund.)
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