On to Helsinki (Mon., Aug. 14)

Today was our travel day to Helsinki (view from our room at the right) so that meant spending a good amount of time at the airport which gave me the opportunity to write about what it is like to travel in Scandinavia.

1. Kudos to SAS. Today was our third flight with SAS and flying couldn't be any easier. SAS is very automated, and they stay in touch with you via their app for everything - check-in, gate changes, boarding passes. You check-in at a kiosk, print your bag tag, load your bag on a belt and scan the tag. They send you an electronic bag receipt, so you know that they have it. Airplanes have been full but efficient.

2. Language - Almost everyone we met in Oslo and Copenhagen spoke very good English and the signs, the menus, etc. also include an English translation. Finland so far has been hit or miss. We ate at a non-tourist local place and there was some English on the menu but what Jeanne got didn't match the description, and still it was one of the best meals we've had so far.

3. Local transportation. Everyone seems to use their phones or metro cards to ride the buses, trams and metro. The issue for us is that I had downloaded the right apps, but we rarely if ever had a T-Mobile WiFi connection. We had to take a bus in Oslo, and I offered to pay but he said to use my mobile. We bought individual train tickets at the machines in Copenhagen. That's where I learned we were using the Ørestad stop and not Orestad (doesn't exist).

4. Local cash. I'm tempted to say you don't need any as almost every place has a card machine, including a pay bathroom I used in Oslo. That said, I generally carry $50 to $100 of cash just in case.