, 4 = 
, 7 = 
.FAHRENHEIT AND CELSIUS CONVERSION
In all the countries in this book, dial 112 for medical or other emergencies. For police, dial 112 everywhere except Estonia (dial 110).
Embassies are located in all the capital cities.
In Denmark: Dag Hammarskjölds Allé 24, Copenhagen, passport services by appointment, info tel. 33 41 71 00 (Mon-Fri 14:00-16:00), emergency tel. 33 41 74 00, http://denmark.usembassy.gov
In Estonia: Kentmanni 20, Tallinn, passport services Mon-Fri 9:00-12:00 & 14:00-17:00, tel. 668-8128, emergency tel. 509-2129, http://estonia.usembassy.gov
In Finland: Itäinen Puistotie 14B, Helsinki, passport services by appointment, info tel. 40/140-5957 (Mon-Thu 14:00-16:00), emergency tel. 09/616-250, http://finland.usembassy.gov
In Norway: Henrik Ibsens Gate 48, Oslo, passport services by appointment, info tel. 21 30 85 58 (Mon-Fri 15:00-16:30), emergency tel. 21 30 85 40, http://norway.usembassy.gov
In Sweden: Dag Hammarskjölds Väg 31, Stockholm, passport services by appointment, info tel. 08/783-4375 (Mon-Tue and Thu 13:00-14:00), emergency tel. 08/783-5300, http://stockholm.usembassy.gov
In Denmark: Kristen Bernikowsgade 1, Copenhagen, passport services Mon-Fri 8:30-12:00 & 13:00-16:30, tel. 33 48 32 00, www.canada.dk
In Estonia: Toomkooli 13, Tallinn, passport services Mon-Fri 8:30-17:00, tel. 627-3311, www.canada.ee
In Finland: Pohjoisesplanadi 25B, Helsinki, passport services Mon-Fri by appointment only, tel. 09/228-530, www.canada.fi
In Norway: Wergelandsveien 7, Oslo, passport services Mon-Fri 8:30-12:30, tel. 22 99 53 00, www.canada.no
In Sweden: Klarabergsgatan 23, Stockholm, passport services Mon-Fri 9:00-12:00, tel. 08/453-3000, www.canadaemb.se
This list includes selected festivals in major cities, plus national holidays observed throughout Scandinavia. Many sights and banks close down on national holidays—keep this in mind when planning your itinerary. Before planning a trip around a festival, verify its dates by checking the festival’s website or TI sites (www.goscandinavia.com; for Estonia, check www.visitestonia.com).
| Jan 1 | New Year’s Day |
| Jan 6 | Epiphany, Sweden and Finland |
| Feb | Vinterjazz, winter jazz festival (www.jazz.dk), Denmark |
| Feb 24 | National Day, Estonia |
| Good Friday | April 3 in 2015, March 25 in 2016 |
| Easter | April 5 in 2015, March 27 in 2016 |
| April 30 | Walpurgis Night (bonfires, choirs), Sweden and Finland |
| May 1 | Labor Day (parades, some closures) |
| Common Prayer Day | May 1 in 2015, April 22 in 2016, Denmark (businesses closed) |
| Early-Mid-May | MaiJazz (international jazz festival, www.maijazz.no), Stavanger, Norway |
| Ascension Day | May 14 in 2015, May 5 in 2016 |
| May 15 | St. Hallvard’s Day (theater, concerts), Oslo |
| May 17 | Constitution Day (parades, closures), Norway |
| Whitsunday and Whitmonday | May 24-25 in 2015, May 15-16 in 2016 |
| Late May-Early June | Bergen International Festival (concerts, ballet, opera, theater; www.fib.no) |
| Late May-Early June | Old Town Days (music and parades; http://vanalinnapaevad.ee), Tallinn |
| May-June | Medieval Festival (“Middelalderfestival,” www.oslomiddelalderfestival.org), Oslo |
| June 5 | Constitution Day (businesses closed), Denmark |
| June 6 | National Day (parades), Sweden |
| Early June | Archipelago Boat Day (steamboat parade, (www.skargardstrafikanten.se), Stockholm |
| Early June | Taste of Stockholm (outdoor food vendors; www.smakapastockholm.se) |
| Mid-June | Norwegian Wood Rock Music Festival (www.norwegianwood.no), Oslo |
| Mid-June | Bergenfest (rock, pop, hip-hop, and folk music; www.bergenfest.no), Bergen, Norway |
| Mid-June-Mid-Aug | Fløyen Concert Festival (classical music, www.floyenfolk.no), Bergen, Norway |
| Mid-June-Mid-Aug | Grieg in Bergen Festival (summer-long concert series; www.grieginbergen.com), Bergen, Norway |
| June 23 | Victory Day, Estonia (celebrates decisive 1919 battle in Estonia’s War of Independence) |
| June 23 | Sankthansaften (St. John’s Eve, midsummer festival, Norway and Denmark) |
| Late June | Midsummer Eve and Midsummer Day (celebrations, bonfires), Scandinavia |
| July 4 | Fourth of July festivities, Stockholm |
| Late June-Early July | Roskilde Festival (music and culture, www.roskilde-festival.dk), Roskilde, Denmark |
| Early July-Late Aug | Savonlinna Opera Festival (www.operafestival.fi), Savonlinna, Finland |
| Mid-July | Copenhagen Jazz Festival (www.jazz.dk) |
| Mid-Late July | International Jazz Festival (www.jazzfest.dk), Aarhus, Denmark |
| Late July | Food Festival (“Gladmat,” www.gladmat.no), Stavanger, Norway |
| Late July-Mid-Aug | Hans Christian Andersen Festival (www.hcandersenfestspil.dk), Odense, Denmark |
| Mid-Aug | International Chamber Music Festival (www.icmf.no), Stavanger, Norway |
| Mid-Aug | Chamber Music Festival (www.oslokammermusikkfestival.no), Oslo |
| Mid-Aug | Jazz Festival (www.oslojazz.no), Oslo |
| Mid-Late Aug | Helsinki Festival (music, dance, film, theater; www.helsinkifestival.fi) |
| August 20 | Day of Restoration of Independence (celebrates Estonia’s 1991 independence), Estonia |
| Late Aug-Sept | Aarhus Festival (music, dance, theater; www.aarhusfestuge.dk), Aarhus, Denmark |
| Mid-Sept | Ultima Contemporary Music Festival (www.ultima.no), Oslo |
| Mid-Oct | DølaJazz Festival (www.dolajazz.no), Lillehammer, Norway |
| Mid-Oct | Stockholm Jazz Festival (www.stockholmjazz.com) |
| Mid-Nov-Early Jan | Christmas Fair (Tivoli Garden), Copenhagen |
| Dec 6 | Independence Day (candlelit windows), Finland |
| Dec 10 | Nobel Peace Prize Award Ceremony, Oslo and Stockholm |
| Dec 13 | St. Lucia Day (festival of lights), Sweden, Norway, and parts of Finland |
| Dec 25 | Christmas |
| Dec 26 | Boxing Day |
• Europeans write a few of their numbers differently than we do. 1 = , 4 = , 7 = .
• In Europe, dates appear as day/month/year, so Christmas 2016 is 25/12/2016.
• Commas are decimal points and decimals commas. A dollar and a half is $1,50, one thousand is 1.000, and there are 5.280 feet in a mile.
• When counting with fingers, start with your thumb. If you hold up your first finger to request one item, you’ll probably get two.
• What Americans call the second floor of a building is the first floor in Europe.
• Scandinavians number their weeks. Instead of saying, “Spring break is the third week in March,” they’d say, “Spring break is week 12.”
• On escalators and moving sidewalks, Europeans keep the left “lane” open for passing. Keep to the right.
A kilogram is 2.2 pounds, and l liter is about a quart, or almost four to a gallon. A kilometer is six-tenths of a mile. I figure kilometers to miles by cutting them in half and adding back 10 percent of the original (120 km: 60 + 12 = 72 miles, 300 km: 150 + 30 = 180 miles).
| 1 foot = 0.3 meter | 1 square yard = 0.8 square meter |
| 1 yard = 0.9 meter | 1 square mile = 2.6 square kilometers |
| 1 mile = 1.6 kilometers | 1 ounce = 28 grams |
| 1 centimeter = 0.4 inch | 1 quart = 0.95 liter |
| 1 meter = 39.4 inches | 1 kilogram = 2.2 pounds |
| 1 kilometer = 0.62 mile | 32°F = 0°C |
When shopping for clothing, use these US-to-European comparisons as general guidelines (but note that no conversion is perfect).
• Women’s dresses and blouses: Add 30
(US size 10 = European size 40)
• Men’s suits and jackets: Add 10
(US size 40 regular = European size 50)
• Men’s shirts: Multiply by 2 and add about 8
(US size 15 collar = European size 38)
• Women’s shoes: Add about 30
(US size 8 = European size 38-39)
• Men’s shoes: Add 32-34
(US size 9 = European size 41; US size 11 = European size 45)
First line, average daily high; second line, average daily low; third line, average days without rain. For more detailed weather statistics for destinations in this book (as well as the rest of the world), check www.wunderground.com.
Scandinavia takes its temperature using the Celsius scale, while we opt for Fahrenheit. For a rough conversion from Celsius to Fahrenheit, double the number and add 30. For weather, remember that 28°C is 82°F—perfect. For health, 37°C is just right. At a launderette, 30°C is cold, 40°C is warm (usually the default setting), 60°C is hot, and 95°C is boiling.
Whether you’re traveling for five days or five weeks, you won’t need more than this. Pack light to enjoy the sweet freedom of true mobility.
5 shirts: long- & short-sleeve
2 pairs pants or skirt
1 pair shorts or capris
5 pairs underwear & socks
1 pair walking shoes
Sweater or fleece top
Rainproof jacket with hood
Tie or scarf
Swimsuit
Sleepwear
Debit card
Credit card(s)
Hard cash ($20 bills)
Money belt or neck wallet
Passport
Airline reservations
Rail pass/train reservations
Car-rental voucher
Driver’s license
Student ID, hostel card, etc.
Photocopies of all the above
Hotel confirmations
Insurance details
Guidebooks & maps
Notepad & pen
Journal
Toiletries
Medicines & vitamins
First-aid kit
Glasses/contacts/sunglasses (with prescriptions)
Earplugs
Packet of tissues (for WC)
Daypack
Sealable plastic baggies
Laundry soap
Spot remover
Clothesline
Sewing kit
Travel alarm/watch
Smartphone or mobile phone
Camera & related gear
Tablet/ereader/media player
Laptop & flash drive
Earbuds or headphones
Chargers
Plug adapters
Flipflops or slippers
Mini-umbrella or poncho
Travel hairdryer
Belt
Hat (for sun or cold)
Picnic supplies
Water bottle
Fold-up tote bag
Small flashlight
Small binoculars
Insect repellent
Small towel or washcloth
Inflatable pillow
Some duct tape (for repairs)
Tiny lock
Address list (to mail postcards)
Postcards/photos from home
Extra passport photos
Good book