Here I go again… I just can’t resist spending time with my host family! This weekend we went to the ABBA museum, one of the most fun interactive museums I’ve been to. Unfortunately for the blog, I kept forgetting to take pictures, but I’ll do my best to describe my experience.
Upon entering the museum, a colorful room greeted visitors with displays of the Eurovision competitions throughout the years. Wardrobes occupied glass spaces, performances shined on screens, and the historical background of Eurovision since the 1950s was summarized on a wall. On the left there was a bright platform with a microphone for people to sing songs that won past competitions. My host mom, Maria, did not hesitate to show her stardom and owned that stage. That was only the beginning…
We then followed the stairs downstairs to witness ABBA’s journey, and walked into a dark room with a large screen quickly rolling through clips of their fame: performances, interviews, screaming fans, etc. finally ending with a grand “Welcome” written on the screen. Exiting the room led us to a 50s vibe with a background of each member of the band and how they met. I had no idea that two couples formed ABBA! They did not reach world fame though until they won Euro vision with Waterloo, and their manager ensured many opportunities for them afterwards.
The museum was full of color, a variety of displays, and a number of interactive activities. Some of those activities included singing an ABBA song in a music booth, creating a music video by dancing to an ABBA song, and standing on a stage with the spotlight on you, performing with the four CGI members of ABBA. We will be able to find all of our performances online… There was also a section that had pockets of rooms representing different musical decades. I found some American throwbacks, in addition to being introduced to new songs (many in a different language).
There was also a scarily realistic wax figure display of ABBA. Wax figures kind of creep me out, but I managed a silly selfie with Maria and Clara.
Another fun factor to the museum was the fact that pianos were everywhere, and so right before closing, Clara and I both played on our own piano while Ella and Maria went to get their coats. It was a wonderfully fun visit, and the girls had a good time despite initially feeling skeptical. If you end up in Sweden, I’d definitely recommend checking this place out!
Here is a short performance by Ella and me:
Until next time!