Scandinavia is ideal camping country, and in all four countries there are numerous official camp sites (Danish campingplads, Norwegian campingplass, Swedish campingplats, Finnish leirin-taalue). Campers should have an international camping carnet or the membership card of a national camping organisation. Lists of camp sites are issued annually by the national tourist organisations, motoring organisations and camping clubs, giving the location, size, facilities and category (1 3 stars) of the sites. In addition to the usual sanitary and cooking facilities, the larger sites normally have showers and shops selling provisions. On many sites there are also camping huts or chalets (simple wooden huts with sleeping accommodation). In areas of particular natural beauty, there
Food and drink
In addition to the restaurants in hotels, there are many other restaurants in the larger Scandinavian towns, ranging from good home cooking to the luxurious. In Denmark, they are often called kro, in Sweden, vardshus, in Finland, ravintola. Many of them are full of character, and in almost all the cuisine is of high quality. For those who want a quick or a cheap meal, there are a variety of milk bars or snack bars {bar, matbar, cafeteria’. Finnish baari or ruokabaari), usually self-service. Although unpretentious, establishments of this kind are clean; the menu, with prices, is usually prominently displayed.
The sale of alcohol is regulated in the Scandinavian countries, though some of the severer restrictions imposed in the past have now been relaxed. Visitors frequenting the larger hotels and restaurants are unlikely to be affected by the regulations. The usual drink is beer of lager type (0or of Finnish olut), normally bottled. The Carlsberg and Tuborg breweries in Copenhagen have reputations extending far beyond the boundaries of Denmark. Wine is expensive, since it is imported. A very popular drink in Norway is milk {melk), which is often served at breakfast or the evening meal without extra charge. Also popular are cream {flote) and sour cream (romme). In Sweden coffee is a kind of national drink, and Swedish coffee is the best in Scandinavia.
Like other countries, the Scandinavian countries have a variety of specialties which the visitor will want to sample. In Denmark there are the famous open sandwiches {smorrebrod) in all their variety. In restaurants the waiter will produce the smorrebrodsseddel, with a rich assortment of tempting confections on different kinds of bread {franskbrodj white bread; rugbrod, rye bread; surbrod, a kind of grey bread also made from rye flour). As appetisers at a main meal or as a second breakfast a variety of tidbits (e.g. eel, salmon, ham, vegetable salads) will
Campsite in the Ruovesi (Finland) are also vacation villages, with chalets and log cabins.
Campers who want to camp on their own (wild camping prohibited in nature reserves and military areas, and not generally allowed in Denmark) should always ask the owner’s permission before camping on or near private property. In the sparsely populated northern areas, care should be taken to maintain an adequate supply of water (Norwegian vann, Swedish vatten, Finnish vesi). On the coast and on the shore of a fjord, it is advisable to pitch the tent so that the entrance is sheltered from the wind. In Lapland, a mosquito net is essential.
Danish buffet be offered, and this is often followed by a glass of aquavit. A meal usually ends with cheese (Danish ost).
