Day 21 - An ABBA-solutely joyful trip to the museum

I need to start today's blog by saying that I asked ChatGPT to come up with some ABBA related puns for today's titles. Options included 'Take a chance on ABBA', 'Thank You for the Museum' and 'Super Trouper Tourist in Stockholm.' Sorry/not sorry. 

Anyway, after a quick breakfast at my new favourite coffee-house chain 'Espresso House', I walked to my nearby 'Hop On-Hop Off' boat stop, having figured that this was a very convenient way to both get to the ABBA museum and see a bit more of the city at the same time. It was, indeed, a good idea, except that the boat operation wasn't massively efficient this morning, meaning that we seemed to spend quite a lot of time waiting for people at stops. It did mean that I had plenty of time for photos though!


Luckily, I had left plenty of time to get to the ABBA museum, and it worked out well as I was able to go straight to the front of the queue because of my pre-purchased ticket. One of the first things that struck me at the museum was just how many different people there were, spanning all the generations - it was really heart-warming to see so many people singing along together through the museum. The museum itself was excellent - I got the audio tour on my phone, which was narrated by Benny, Bjorn, Frida and Agnetha, and particularly loved hearing their stories of how they all met. It was also interesting to hear about the song-writing process and to see lots and lots of ABBA memorabilia! There were loads of interactive parts to the museum too. Whilst I passed on the option of singing myself or becoming the fifth member of ABBA and dancing in front of lots of people, I very much enjoyed the silent disco and testing my knowledge on an ABBA quiz. All in all, a lot of fun. 


After a quick stop for some fika (the Swedish word for coffee and something sweet, which I am very much in favour of, as long as I may substitute my coffee for tea), I had a bit of a wander around Djurgarden, the island the museum is on. Next door to the museum is ANOTHER amusement park, with some pretty fun looking rides..... but even I decided that I had probably had enough time at amusement parks in recent days. Tell me that this roller-coaster doesn't look fun though!?


I then hopped back on the boat and continued my circuit of Stockholm. There were some lovely views, especially in the sunshine. I then decided to hop back off in the old town, and had my dunch sat by the water. It was very close to being linner by this point (Clare G - I will require more guidance on when dunch becomes linner), and I did go all out and had a very delicious steak. 

Well-fueled, I went for a more extensive explore of the old town than I managed last night. This allowed me to find a lot of geocaches, but also to see a lot of the city's sights - most notably the Royal Palace and the Cathedral. 


Exploring all the cobbled streets was a real treat, all the more so when I came across a few oddities, none odder than 'The Wooden Horse Museum'. Of course I went in (cautious, of course, of any potential armies being hidden). Sadly, photos were not allowed, but I can assure you that there were, indeed, a lot of wooden horses!


An evening ice-cream felt well-deserved, and it was then the relatively short walk back to my box, where I am now happily listening to some ABBA music as I write this!

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