Scandinavia -- Overview of Norway, Denmark, Sweden

Get ready to explore three capital cities in three remarkable Scandinavian countries—Oslo, Norway; Copenhagen, Denmark; and Stockholm Sweden.  New adventures…new cultures…new direction – North!  

Here’s a general overview of what to expect.  Let’s cover some basics, like time, weather, language, and currency.  And then let travel guru Rick Steves take you on a short tour of each of the capitals.

The time in all three capitals is seven hours ahead of central standard time in the U.S.

Oslo, Norway

Land of Vikings

Oslo – Land of the Midnight Sun and home of Viking kings and canyon-cut fjords!  Expect the weather in June to be cooler than we are used to in the summer…and that could be a welcome change come June.  The average temperature for June is about 15 degrees Celsius or around 60 degrees Farenheit.  Try this weather calculator for other Celsius temps.  Nights of course are cooler, but during the day, as always, dress in layers.  In the “land of the midnight sun,” June days could have up to 19 hours of daylight!

Norwegian is the official language of Norway and the most widely spoken, however English is a common second language for most in the country.  Use Google Translate to learn a few basic courtesy phrases in Norwegian, such as hello, please, and thank you.  (Note: click the microphone button to hear the pronunciation.)

The cost of living in Norway is one of the most expensive in the world.  High taxation, which provides a variety of social services, is a contributing factor.  This, of course, affects tourists.  The Norwegian currency is the “krone,” (or plural kroner) which is worth roughly 12 cents US.  So something that costs 1000 kroner is about $118 US.  Use this currency calculator to better understand the exchange rate for NOK (Norwegian kroner). These financial travel tips from Visit Norway will help you plan our visit. 

To get an overview of Oslo, watch this video from travel guru Rick Steves: Oslo.

Copenhagen, Denmark

Copenhagen

The average June day temperature here is also around 15 degrees Celsius, or 60 degrees Farhenheit.  Summer days in Denmark tend to be long with sunrise at 4:30 a.m. and sunset at 10 p.m. on its longest day.

Danish is the official language of Denmark, but English is commonly spoken here too.  Again, use Google Translate to learn some key phrases.

The Danish “krone” (plural kroner) is the official currency of Denmark.  It’s the same name as Norwegian, but a different currency.  Use the currency converter to learn the exchange for the DKK.  One Danish krone is about 14 cents US, so something that costs 1000 kroner in Denmark would cost about $142 US.  The cost of living in Denmark is also expensive.  Compare some costs of everyday things at this site.

To get an overview of Copenhagen, watch this video from Rick Steves: Copenhagen.

Stockholm, Sweden

Old Town Stockholm

Again expect June weather in Stockholm to be very similar to Oslo and Copenhagen with cooler summers around 60 degrees.  A day in June in Stockholm will also give you plenty of daylight…over 18 hours worth.

Swedish is the national language of Sweden, but here too, English is quite popular.  Get a feel for the native language by using Google Translate to hear some pronunciations of phrases you might encounter.

The Swedish “krona” (plural kronor)…sound familiar?... is the currency of Sweden.  And yes it is spelled a bit differently.  (They’ve got to be unique somehow, right?)  One krona (SEK) is worth about 11 cents US, so spending 1000 kronor would be about $111 US.

To get an overview of Stockholm, watch this video from Rick Steves: Stockholm.

Learn more about these Scandinavian countries in this hour long video from Rick Steves Travel Talk: Scandinavia.  It has a lot of pertinent and practical information about traveling to Oslo, Copenhagen, and Stockholm.

Tour forecast…remarkable journey!

Foreign Word Translations

It is always a good way to break the ice, and of course find out needed information, if you know a few words in a country’s native tongue.  In our case, we need to learn a few phrases in four languages: German, Czech, Polish, and Hungarian.

If you are using a smartphone, you could download the Google Translate app for mobile phones. It works with both iPhones and Android phones in all four languages and has an extra feature called Conversation Mode which now translates German, Czech, and Polish.

Android has a version (by downloading additional language packs) that can be used without the internet.  However, I could not find the same internet free service for the iPhone, so using it abroad will incur roaming data charges.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t practice a few phrases at home before you depart.  Google Translate for the computer let’s you do just that.  Just type in the phrase in English on the left, choose the language at the top, and click Translate.  To hear it pronounced, simply click on the speaker in the lower right corner of the box.

Practice makes perfect, so start with these basic phrases.  People in other countries respond better if we try to use their language.  Think about how you feel when trying to communicate with a non-native English speaker.  When they try, doesn’t it make you smile!

Phrases to practice:

Yes

No

Hello

Goodbye

Thank you

Goodnight

Where is the bathroom?

How much is it?

Nice to meet you

Do you know _____?

Can you help me _____?

I would like _____. (knowing some basic menu items may help…water, chicken, sandwich, etc.)

Do you speak English? (Try this one last.  They may be more responsive if you at least try in their language first.)

It might be a good idea to make up a little cheat sheet to carry with you!

Another online tutorial is My Languages.  Choose the language, and then choose the lesson you want to learn.  The ones with the speakers will give you the audio, so you can learn to pronounce words like a native…or try anyways!

French Cuisine

Ordering food in England may not be a big deal since everything is written in English, but ordering from a French menu might be a bit trickier.

Try downloading this France Menu Decoder from Budget Travel. It provides you with the French and English names of popular dishes, staples, drinks and desserts, as well as some general terms that might come in handy in a restaurant.

I'll have le jambon et le sandwich de fromage avec l'eau embouteillée. (That would be a ham and cheese sandwich with bottled water!)

For fun, type in some menu items, restaurant terms, or something you might want to say to a vendor (How much is that?) into this free online translator. Type in the English and click translate. Then click on the speaker to the left of the French translation and it will take you to a Text-to-Speech Translator that will say the word in French! Practice, practice, practice!

_

Learning to Speak French

Since the majority of our tour will be in France, you might like to brush up on your French speaking skills. This series of 39 short videos from Expert Village entitled "Common French Phrases" might be of some help. Click on the title to hear the phrases and see them written in French. The demonstrator speaks them slowly so you can learn.

You might also check out this English to French translation for common French phrases and their written pronunciations.

And if the word or phrase you want to learn is not in either of the above sites, then try Word Reference, an online language translator.

Bonne chance! (That's good luck in French!)