I believe in angels, and they’re in the ABBA Museum— a Design Hunt in Stockholm
A Wintery getaway (coinciding with a double birthday, always a treat) seemed fitting for Stockholm - a place I’d meant to visit for years to see a friend. I’ve previously been to Stavanger in Norway (cold, dark), and Copenhagen in Denmark (warmer, also dark) at this time of year, so it seemed fitting to head here, and you might say I had a dream: to go to the ABBA museum and make a tit of myself. I did manage to also fit in some pretty cool places to eat, drink, and snap pics of, so please take this list as ‘here are some things to do (once you’ve finished at ABBA)’. If you’re not interested in ABBA, I am not interested in you.
The ABBA Museum
I’ve now written the word ABBA a few too many times and it’s become unpleasant to read, which is a real shame because it’s usually quite satisfying to say and because we’re nowhere near done talking and thinking about ABBA.
If you like interactive exhibits, an insight into how costumes are made, and some beautiful set design, this is 100% worth a visit. It’s perfectly curated and there are some beautiful pieces of ephemera (including some old signwriting) throughout each room. My personal favourite was the super long ‘GÖÖÖÖÖÖÖÖREL!’ print: Stig’s gift to Görel Hanser (Stig Anderson’s secretary - and later VP of their label), mimicking the way Stig would shout her name across the office, ‘almost every time with a smile…’
There’s also an opportunity to perform with ABBA, and there’s a couple of videos of me throwing my heart and soul into it. It wasn’t so much design-related as much as it was completely life-affirming.
Fika
The general vibe of Stockholm is, “hey guys, let’s just take a moment shall we?” Which is a real pace change from London which pretty much daily politely taps its knees and sighs, like it’s waiting for you to leave but knows you have nowhere else to go.
A result of this is the general presence of large mugs of tea (Earl Grey, milky) and cake (dense, rich). I was first introduced to the concept of Fika (in Swedish custom, a break from activity during which people drink coffee, eat cakes or other light snacks, and relax with others) by a Swedish friend in Oxford, who’d regularly have me round after a particularly heavy night in my early twenties and feed me delicious treats while reassuring me it’s probably ok that I accidentally stole that person’s keys.
I can strongly recommend having a pal like that, and visiting Sweden is a good way to start.
Pub Culture
Sweden has taken UK Pub Culture, and they’ve turned it into a 5am affair. No loud music, no obligatory dancing, no creepy men — just old chairs, unmatching tables, and a bartender who’ll make you a warm shot if you tell him it’s your boyfriend’s birthday.
Before you disparage me for being a Brit Abroad, I too used to be staunchly anti-Irish-Pubs-Abroad. And that’s why I think I missed out on a lot of fun in Copenhagen. Turns out that while they might look like standard-issue pubs, the drinks and general atmosphere can vary. Nowhere in the U.K. would any strangers follow you around on a night out on a Monday. They’ve got work, and think you’re weird.
Vasa Museum & Viking Museum
This possibly should have come before pubs, but in general if you’re a fan of history, the Vasa museum is well worth a trip. It contains a 99% fully-intact 17th Century ship, and a beautiful building specifically designed to house it. It’s fully intact for numerous hilarious reasons (I found it funny that it sank approx 100m away from shore and nobody cared, thus rendering it actually quite pointless in the greater context of shipping), but be warned it’s only meant to stay that way for the next thousand years — so get a wriggle on.
For further enjoyment head over to the Viking Museum. They’ve not really got much to say, but there’s an interactive ride where you can follow the pillaging efforts of a pesky man named Harold (no, really, at one point he kills a priest), and there’s a catchy song at the end. I won’t ruin it for you but it’s utterly dystopian.
And that’s the lot! Fancy reading about some other places as seen from my definitely obviously quite expert perspective on what to do in them? Check out my other posts on Philadelphia, Berlin or Dublin. I’m nothing if not varied.
