What should I know before visiting Scandinavia?

In My Humble Opinion
1

DanielWithrow and I are going to spend our June honeymoon in Scandinavia. We’re flying into Copenhagen, but we’re planning on spending most of our time in Norway. We don’t speak any Scandinavian languages (I know basic German, and he knows basic French), but we’ve got our Norwegian language tapes, and we’re eager to learn.

So, fellow Dopers, any knowledge you want to pass along? We both want to avoid the Ugly American stereotype, which is why we’re trying to learn at least a bit of the language. Are there any fun cultural quirks to know about? Anything we absolutely shouldn’t miss? We’d appreciate any and all advice!

2

Scandihoovians are among some of the most hospitable people you will ever meet (well, maybe except for the dour Swedes). They are refreshingly candid in their conversation and uninhibited in general.

First of all:

Learn how to say “Uf da!”

Then lose ten pounds real soon because you’re going to gain twenty while you are over there. Butter is considered one of the principal food groups.

If you do not like beer or black licorice, learn how … and fast. Denmark consumes more licorice than chocolate. There are shops called lakrits boutiques that sell over 100 different types of licorice. Everything from sickly sweet to so salty your toes will curl.

Danish beer is among the finest in the world. Do not miss the Carlsberg factory tour. Carlsberg was the first man to properly isolate a pure strain of brewer’s yeast. Carlsberg Special Reserve with the black and gold label is a knockout. Be sure to try Tuborg in the big green bottle. It is one of my favorites.

Bring copious quantities of money. Everything is insanely expensive over there. Also bring good maps of the city centers. For some reason Denmark has the absolute worst signage I’ve seen in an industrialized country. I’ve not been to Norway and can’t advise you on their roads. Maybe flodnak will drop in and help.

Hie thee to a good bakery and be sure to try the bolle. These are hard shell French style rolls and no one else makes them quite as well. Be sure to smear them with plenty of the fantastic Danish butter. Also make sure to try kringle. It is a marzipan and cream cheese filled pastry that is so good you will forget your name. The cheeses are quite good too. Sample Danish Tybo and Norwegian Ridder.

Be sure to try gravlax, it is a tasty variant on lox. Norwegian salmon is some of the finest in the world. Also see if someone will make you the splendid dilled crayfish and shrimp in brine. Hit a deli and sample the fiske frikadeler med remoulade. This a wonderful ground fish patty with an excellent Mayonnaise based sauce. Don’t miss the regular beef frikadeler either. It is classic Scandinavian soul food. Be sure to hit at least one true smorgasboard while you are there. This is one of the classic dining experiences of all time.

Bring lots of film and prepare to encounter almost cloyingly quaint little thatched roof cottages next to lakes with swans floating on them. The scenery can be simply awesome. Take a train ride through the Norwegian fjiords. It is rated by rail buffs as one of the most scenic routes in the entire world. Consider buying a rail pass before leaving because car rentals can be expensive and gasoline prices are out of sight. Try our price per gallon for a measly liter! The mass transit is safe, swift, clean and efficient.

And remember, you can always tell a Norwegian. You just can’t tell them much!

I’ll check in later with some more ideas.

3

BE PUNCTUAL!

It is not uncommon to see a bunch of party goers standing outside a host’s house waiting for the precise time of invitation to ring the doorbell. Tardiness is looked upon as rude.

4

if the traffic light is red, do not move; even if it is 3 am and there is no one else around.

5

In Denmark, it is illegal to drive in the slow lane once you have entered the freeway. The slow lane is reserved for merging vehicles plus trucks and buses only.

You are also not permitted to make a left turn as long as there are any vehicles remotely within range of your car.

The traffic lights turn back to yellow before they turn green again.

6

Oh my…

I haven’t been to Norway to ages, but Copenhagen is really nice - and in June, to boot. So what hints I have to give are more related to Denmark/Copenhagen than to Norway, sorry.

The historical stuff - castles, museums, churches etc. - is an any decent guide book. If pressed for time, don’t miss the Round Tower (“Rundetaarn”) with its view of all the city spires.

Things not prominent in the guidebooks, yet not to be missed in June in Copenhagen are:

Not worth a big detour, but if you’re anywhere near, check out the submerged statue group in the canal by the Old Fish Market. On a summer day when the water is clear, its semi-abstract grouping of humans and merpeople can just be made out. It’s a weird idea, but it somehow works.

Check out the communal bicycles - you deposit a 20-kroner ($2.50) coin and the bike is yours to use in the inner city for as long as you want. When you park it at any one of the stands, you get your coin back. Nifty concept.

A summer’s day in Copenhagen should involve sipping a big draft beer in Nyhavn, doing nothing but people-watching.

Eat a hotdog at one of the small white hot-dog stands. They’re good.

I happen to think that the Little Mermaid is overrated. She’s very little. And a mermaid. Not a concept that merits a trip out of one’s way, IMHO.

If you’re into modern art and have half a day to spare, Louisiana (slightly north of Copenhagen proper) is a beautiful museum with some very, very cool art in amazing surroundings.

Dragør, a little south, is very pretty with tiny streets, ancient fisherman’s houses etc.

Oh, and Copenhagen’s airport is actually an almost tolerable place to be, a trick considered impossible by most.

Practical stuff:

Cabs are expensive, but trains and buses will take you most places.

Tipping is not expected. It’s rarely refused, either, of course, but don’t feel bad about not tipping.

Most, if not all, people speak English.

Stores close early.

Enjoy your trip!

7

Beer and butter…I think I can deal. :wink: Communal bicycles, what a great idea! And the Louisiana Museum sounds very cool. Thanks for the tips.

8

**Zenster: ** Preach it, sister :smiley:

Gjetost may be a bit of an acquired taste. My brother lived on the stuff for a week because all the other tourists bought some and couldn’t stomach it :slight_smile:

Actually, the only time I’ve been to Norway, I went to Hell and back. It’s a small village just outside Trondheim. If you’re as twisted as my dad and I, you might find it worth the overnight trip just for the bad pun potential…

9

Oh, and one crucial piece of travel advice. I’m not sure if this applies to Norway and Denmark as well, but the Finns have developed ways (basically repeated boiling) to leach toxins out of mushrooms, many of which, once thus detoxified, are considered delicacies. So, do not assume that because mushrooms are sold in the market, they are safe to sautee and eat.

Perhaps by now they warn people more, but 15 years ago, most years you’d hear of tourists unaware of this culinary idiosyncrasy spending a few weeks in hospital having their stomachs pumped out… Not fun.

10

How in Hades did I forget this? It is a regular occurrence to see people at the airport come straight off the planes and head directly for a hot dog stand. On Danish streets, the little white carts are more common than newspaper racks. Called rød polser (literally, red sausage), they are a gastronomic wonder. I would pay large quantities of money to find them in America. They are not imported because of some red dye issues or something.

These skinny little hot dogs are incredibly addictive. They are served on waxed paper with or without a small bun that really isn’t of much use. All you put on it is the equally addictive Alpha sennap (Alpha mustard). It took me years to figure out the right blend of Coleman’s English and Morehouse brown mustards to replicate Alpha sennap. There is also a sweet version of the mustard but it’s nowhere near as tasty. When I am in Denmark, I buy a huge bag of the little wieners and have three or four for breakfast every morning. They are also perfect to “fill in the corners” after a night of drinking or just plain anytime. Miss tasting these and chalk the entire trip up as a total and complete loss.

11

[looks into pants]

Err … I’m a guy. Then again, I’ve been called worse.

12

Also, do not miss Stroget in Copenhagen. It is a wonderful pedestrians-only mall in the old part of town lined with new and old shops of every sort. While you’re there, drop by Larsen’s pipe museum to view a splendid collection of tobacco pipes.

13

Bring lots of money if you are planning on heading to Norway, it is not a cheap country.

You picked a great time of year to go, as Norway will be at its most beautiful with long, long sunny days and cool temperatures. The train ride throughout Norway mentioned earlier in the thread is a must. If you find yourself in Stavanger you may want to take the ferry ride down Lysefjorden or take a hike up to Preikestolen (a huge rock that juts out thousands of feet above the fjord below). Norwegians are very pleasant, polite people and most will speak fluent English.

Do try the chocolate, you can’t get stuff like that here.

14

Remember what Spiny Norman said. Nearly all of the shops and stores (except tiny little bodegas) are closed on Sunday. The last time I was there, they were cautiously experimenting with having the stores open for shortened hours one Sunday every month. Be sure to do all of your shopping on Saturday, otherwise you’ll be SOL.

15
  1. Take a brief tour of Tivoli Gardens. It’s near the train station in Copenhagen. Gorgeous flowers, nice restaurants and a nice place to watch the Danes (and the other tourists too!).

You might also be interested in the Danish Resistance Museum. Many Danes hid Jews in their houses during the war. When the ice between Denmark and Sweden was thick eough, the Jews escaped to neutral Sweden.

  1. Rosekilde (I may be close on the spelling) is a town south of Copenhagen. They do Viking ship excavations there that are fascinating. I think they have a museum of them now.

  2. If you have a chance to go to Odense on the island of Fyn, you will be in the setting for many Hans Christian Andersen’s fairytales. His house is open to the public. But do ramble through the town and find a garden. It may be called “The King’s Garden.” It is like finding “the Secret Garden.” Also, in going to Fyn, you will cross over the world’s second longest suspension bridge.

  3. The best things about Denmark are the natives. They are funny loving and kind. Be sure to ask a Dane how to say “strawberries and cream” in Danish. You will hear sounds that you didn’t know existed.

  4. Hamlet’s castel is north of Copenhagen, I think. It’s in Elsinore – also spelled with an h sometimes.

  5. I liked the train ride to Oslo from Copenhagen. You will be travelling along side the Oslo Fjord which is so deep and almost a navy blue. That will be on one side of the train. On the other are mountains.

  6. I am told that one of the most beautiful train rides in the world is from Oslo to Bergen on the west coast.

  7. Take warm clothes. When I was there it was in July and the temps were around 60-65 degrees for the high. But it has been known to get up into the 80’s in heat waves. Good to dress in layers.

  8. The smaller towns are much less expensive and a good place to buy those wonderful sweaters.

  9. Be sure to try a variety of the open-faced sandwiches for lunch. They can be an art form!

  10. Hardware stores are a good place to buy momentos. You will find things that are unique to the Scandanavian countries.

  11. Do visit goldsmiths and silversmiths. Wonderful designs in jewelry!

  12. Never initiate a toast to your hostess. She might get tipsy if all of her guests did that. But do empty your schnapps glass all at one time. The Danes will be watching to see if you can do it.

  13. Always say “thanks for the food” to your hostess. What is it in Danish, Zebra – “Tak fer mad”? (The last word is pronounced with sort of a th sound for the d.)

You have chosen the perfect place for a honeymoon! Everything is so clean and safe and romantic!

16

I almost forgot. Don’t say “CopenHAGEN” as in Hagen Dass. Pronounce the “hagen” with a long a.

And if you want a regular Danish pastry (as in America) for breakfast, you have to ask for “Vienna Bread”!

17

Or if you really want to sound native, say Koebenhavn.

“Tak for mad,” only with the last d as a th, is indeed what you say after meals. After you go to a party, the next time you see your host, say “Tak for sidst.”

genie misses red hotdogs, remoulade, and Napoleon hats… and she doesn’t know how to do extra characters

18

Oh. And as a non-beer-drinker, I have to recommend that you try the local sodas, too! ‘Hindbaer’ is raspberry, ‘ananas’ is pineapple, ‘citron’ is of course lemon, and ‘sport’ is…well, green-flavored. And there’s Squash, and Jolly cola, and, and…

19

Burundi if you want to see the nature in Norway Hurtigruten is probarbly your best chioce. http://www.hurtigruten.com/uk/ It is a coastal steamer that goes from Bergen to Kirkenes(near the Russian border).
More people know English than German or French. Remember that everyone can understand you when you speak.
If you could say what you want to see you could probarbly get more specific ideas.

And Zenster I have never said uff da nor have I heard anyone say it.

And if you are in Norway in early June and the streets suddenly empty then the European Cup qualifier between Norway and Denamrk has started and when Norway wins there’s going to be a lot of celebrating Norwegians in the streets.

20

I refer you to this site.