Instead of having approximately 12 light hours in which to explore Stockholm we were now reduced to about half of that due to the amount of time wasted having to travel on 2 buses and 2 trains instead of the one direct train.
It was very disappointing but we decided that there was nothing we could do but make the best of the day we had in front of us, especially as the daylight hours were limited.
Entrance to the ABBA Museum (it was already dark when we took this photo)
Once again, we were able to ‘call on’ the information of my pre travel research on the places to visit. A friend had told me that a Museum on ABBA had been opened in May 2015. This was a definite YES on our itinerary so we decided that if we did nothing else that day we would find out where the Museum was located and visit that. Both of us did and still do enjoy their music. I know that not everyone shares the same taste in music but we were really keen to visit the museum.
We had to walk for about a kilometre to reach the tram stop and had to double check that we were on the correct side of the road. Fortunately our Pass was accepted on the Stockholm trams as we only had Euros in cash and they did not accept those.
On arrival at the Museum we were actually quite excited at being given this opportunity to see the history of the band. As usual, at the cashier, Trevor asked about a Senior Citizen’s discount and was told there was not one. Later, when we were back at our hotel, we thought about this and realised that if they had offered a discount to Seniors, at least 90% of their patrons would have to be given this discount – the only persons younger than 60 at the Museum were children accompanying their grandparents!
This Museum is a must visit for anyone who likes ABBA and is visiting Stockholm but ensure that you set aside at least 3-4 hours to do so. It is very well laid out and lots of fun. You can hear each of the 4 members of the band tell their own stories, see the items used to record their music, hear the experiences of their managers, go on stage and sing with the ‘group’ and even have an opportunity to make your own recording of their music. We didn’t try either of the last 2 activities but we watched some of the other visitors do so and had some really good laughs. There was one particularly large gentleman who, though he had a super voice, really looked ridiculous trying to dance on the stage!
Models of the ABBA group
At the ABBA Museum, there is a room filled with all the clothes they wore for the different concerts they held around the world as well as equipment used in the making of their albums. The most popular is the helicopter used in the production of the album, Arrival. Like most others we had our photo taken as we sat inside this ‘copter. It was not easy to get into or out of, probably because of our age and not so limber limbs. Of course, the tour ends in the souvenir shop with, generally, very expensive mementoes. We decided on a fridge magnet as our reminder of a wonderful time in Stockholm.
We realised how long we had spent at the ABBA Museum when we came outside and saw that it was getting dark. We had planned to visit the Old Town area of Stockholm which dates back to the 11th & 12th centuries but it was definitely too late for that so we caught the tram back into town and walked around that area instead. The Christmas lights were absolutely beautiful and filled every street and arcade.
Pedestrian arcade downtown
Sweden has a very strong history of Human Rights activism and we saw some of very interesting sculptures. One was a gun with the barrel twisted symbolising the awfulness of the use of guns.
The anti-violence sculpture
Second one reflecta the history of Human Rights in Sweden but support has been a burden this past year though, as it was the first place that Syrian refugees went for asylum and protection. Unfortunately, many have found that they cannot get support in Sweden and have been heading for Denmark which has made that country very unhappy due to the lack of control of numbers and ages of the people crossing the border without any checks.
Human Rights for Assyria
We ended the day with a supper at a small bistro type shop which offered delicious sandwiches. Early tomorrow we head for Copenhagen.
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