When I arrived in Stockholm aboard the train from the airport, I was given a discount coupon for the ABBA Museum by one of the ticket controllers. I was excited to go to the museum and was even more excited that I had a discount coupon. I went to the museum the day after I arrived. I woke up from the hostel (how unglamorous, I know) I was staying in and it was cold and rainy but I knew I had only a couple of days in the city so no moment was to be wasted. I took a bus from town to the museum. When I arrived, I was so early the museum was not open yet. The ABBA Museum is in an old yellow building. The building looks like an old house, charming and almost unassuming. When I was told it was not open yet, I went on a walk around the neighborhood. The neighborhood looked deserted. I walked behind the museum. There were signs that this was an amusement park, but it looks rather sad. There was nothing amusing about the park it seemed to me. Anyway. I walked along the main road, moving away from the museum and marveled at people’s house. The area near the museum is leafy and beautiful and most of the houses were without fencing. I walked back to the museum guessing that it must be open now. I didn’t bother to look at the time on my phone but just walked back. The museum was open and I entered. I thought the entrance fee was steep, but of course, I would, I was counting in Rands.
The museum was very camp. It was about the Eurovision Song Contest as much as it was about ABBA. The history of ABBA and the history of the Eurovision Song Contest complete with costumes and all kinds of memorabilia. The museum encourages interaction. For example, in the first room, you can sing karaoke to ABBA songs. As you make your way through the museum you can interact with ABBA in different ways, you can even take a picture with the band. This was one of my favourite mornings in Stockholm. When I was done at the museum I took a leisurely walk back into the city and walked around before I headed back to the hostel. I didn’t know anyone in Stockholm so my trip was not as amazing as it could have been. I did meet up with a South African friend who works in Stockholm now, but that was a short meet up, and most of the time he was at work. Stockholm is a lovely city, and I hope to visit again one day.
