Norway celebrates its Constitution on May 17th - the Norwegian Independence Day. In Norwegian, this day is called "Syttende Mai" (May 17th), or Grunnlovsdagen (Constitution Day). Once again, you can look forward to colorful national costumes and cheerful parades along Norwegian city streets (especially in Norway's capital Oslo, as the patriotic inhabitants commemorate the independence of this Scandinavian country. It was on May 17 1814 that Norway's constitution was signed which made Norway a free and independent nation.

Children and young locals parade through the city streets in their national dress, or 'bunad', which has also reportedly become more popular among adult patriots on Norway's Independence Day (or Constitution Day) in recent years. See the picture for a couple getting ready to go to the Independence Day parades in their bunads!

Recommended In-Depth Articles:

• Independence Day in Norway
• Overview: Independence Days in Scandinavia
• Useful Norwegian Phrases
• Oslo Travel Guide

Image: House with a traditional reed roof in Jutland, Denmark. A Wordless Wednesday blog entry.

The Swedish Ship Officers Union has gone on strike which will affect both locals and visitors in the Swedish cities of Stockholm and Gothenburg.

Like so many others, this strike concerns pay and there have been no details on when the strike is expected to end. If you're visiting Sweden at the moment, don't plan on using local sightseeing boats. If you've booked your boat tour but haven't been on it yet, contact the tour operator for a refund or rain check.

Instead, you can opt for a guided bus tour of the city you're in:

• The Best Guided Tours of Stockholm
• The Djurgarden Walking Tour
• Gothenburg's Top Attractions

The summer is coming and with the warmer weather in Scandinavia, many are planning beach vacations or at least a trip to a nearby lake or ocean. Basically all of Scandinavia is surrounded by water, so a nice dip in the sea is never far. Scandinavia has so much coastline, there are no crowded beaches. Having the beach to yourself makes for a truly nice change. Even skinny-dipping in Scandinavia is allowed in certain areas (learn about nudism in Scandinavia if you're interested).

But why only go swimming in the summer?

You're probably thinking that it's too cold in winter. You do have a point there. But those rules don't apply in northern Scandinavia - specifically, in Iceland: The Blue Lagoon in Iceland is a unique geothermal spa where guests relax in warm geothermal seawater all year. The fluorescent blue pool of water always keeps a temperature of around 98-102°F (or 36-39°C). Doesn't that sound nice and relaxing? It's the reason why the Blue Lagoon is such a popular destination in a c-c-cold c-c-climate.

Take a look at these in-depth articles: The Blue Lagoon in Iceland and The Top Blue Lagoon Tours!

Many travelers, especially ones on their first vacation in the beautiful Scandinavian countries, have a hard time trying to figure out a nice route that can offer beautiful landscapes along with major cities. And that's quite understandable, if you look at driving distances in Scandinavia. Fortunately, there are two great articles that can help you with that daunting task:

• Scandinavia: Tour Suggestions (3-20 Days) - This travel article is very useful if you have a certain amount of time for your tour - whether by car or rail - and want to visit the "must-see" destinations. The route itinerary suggestion here is customized by the length of time you can spend on your Scandinavia tour and includes city travel guides and attractions. It works great for traveling by car or train.
  
• Scandinavia Suggested Itinerary - If you have time for a nice detour to Finland, take a look at this tour suggestion created by James Martin, Guide to Europe for Visitors. He includes a trip to Finland by taking a 14-hour ferry across the Baltic Sea to Finland's capital Helsinki. James' tour ideas take you to the capitals of Scandinavia as well, and he recommends spending at least 3 days in each city to fully enjoy the Scandinavian atmosphere.

With summer temperatures approaching, Scandinavia is getting started on this season's outdoor events and activities. The month of May offers quite a bit and you can find in-depth information in the full length article Scandinavia in May (May events, travel advice, packing tips, and more). Here is an excerpt of major outdoor events coming up this month:

• Early May: Copenhagen Architecture & Design Days
• Reykjavik Arts Festival in Iceland
• May 12: Göteborg Half Marathon (Göteborgsvarvet), Sweden
• May 9-13: Stavanger International Jazz Festival - Stavanger, Norway
• May 20: Copenhagen Marathon
• Late May: Carnival in Aalborg, Denmark (largest carnival in Northern Europe)
• More activities: Things to do in Scandinavia

Here are the public holidays in May which may affect travel times by causing delays or crowds:

• May 1: May Day/Labor Day (parades, some business closures)
• May 12: Common Prayer Day (religious festival, businesses closed) in Denmark
• May 17: Constitution Day (parades, some closures) in Norway
• May 25: Ascension Day (religious festival)
• Further reading: Scandinavia's National Holidays

Spring Sunset in Sweden © Marmit / StockExchange. A Wordless Wednesday blog entry.

Traveling through Scandinavia by rail offers an excellent way to explore the vast regions of Norway, Sweden and Denmark in a limited amount of time and a safe environment. When you travel with a EUrail Pass, you can do so on a limited budget for a better value than a rental car!

Find out more about the advantages and disadvantages of this transportation option and read the review. The popular EUrail train tickets are available here: EUrail Pass with lots of options.

Related Full Travel Articles: All About EUrail Train Passes | Scandinavia Maps & Transportation

You know you'll need to use a toilet sooner or later when you're abroad. But oftentimes, foreign toilets are different from the ones we're used to. Some countries' toilets are even downright scary (which brings up childhood memories from smelly squat toilets in France and Greece...I fear they'll stay with me forever.) So what can you expect from toilets in Scandinavia? Let's find out about...

• Toilets in Denmark
• Toilets in Sweden
• Toilets in Norway
• Toilets in Iceland

Toilets in Finland add an extra challenge. To fight vandalism, the Finnish Road Administration has implemented an interactive system along Highway 1 which requires restroom visitors to send the text message "Open" ("Auki" in Finnish) from their cell phone. This automatically unlocks the roadside toilet for your use. So, before you leave for Finland, best double-check with your carrier to make sure your phone will work there. You don’t want to be caught with your pants down. Literally.

Yes, the Scandinavian languages can sound quite foreign to visitors. But it's not that bad. For example, in Norwegian, the words for hotel, museum, and bank, are identical to their English translations. Many travelers agree with me when I say that you will enjoy your vacation much more if you can understand a few words.

If you're planning a summer trip to Scandinavia, right now is a great time to look at a few useful words & phrases, print them, and look at them from time to time (or, for you last-minute travelers, take the printout onto the plane and read it there!)

So, which languages are spoken in which countries? The overview of the Scandinavian languages tells you more.

For direct access to printable articles with practical travel-related words and expressions, just pick one of these:

• Useful Swedish Phrases
• Useful Danish Phrases
• Useful Norwegian Phrases
• Useful Icelandic Phrases
• Useful Faroese Phrases
• Useful Finnish (Suomi) Phrases