The Home of ABBA, Stockholm with Jamie, Oli & Lorraine

The Home of Abba, Stockholm  

The perfect start to our holiday- drinks in the sunshine with beautiful surroundings. 

We headed into Stockholm city centre where at the water's edge we sat in a cafe overlooking the small boats travelling up and down the calm waters. We sat and refreshed ourselves with cold drinks and ice creams soaking up the atmosphere of the busy city. The morning was spent at the Wassa Museum, where the famous warship is housed. This ship capsized and sank on its maiden voyage in 1628, it remained on the seabed just outside the harbour for 333 years until it was salvaged and raised in 1960's and preserved. It's an awesome ship to view as it is the world’s best preserved 17th century ship and we marvelled at its ornate wooden carved sculptures that ordain the entire structure. 

Down at at waters edge we sat overlooking the harbour  before we boarded a sightseeing boat which took us across the harbour to one of the Queen's palaces. The boat was piloted skilfully around the harbour by the captain who was happy to pose for photographs in his gleaming white naval uniform. It was a wonderful way to see the city from a different perspective. 

It was then up to the top deck to take our seats on the sightseeing bus and viewed Stockholm's wonderfully historic buildings and architecture. We stopped off at Djurgarden Island where we entered the Viking Museum. Inside we learnt everything there was to know about the Vikings and explored the Viking Age. We all looked fearsome as we tried on a traditional helmet and held a spear looking like a real "SUPER TROOPER". We posed for photographs next to a Viking dragon boat and inside a traditional Viking Longhouse. 

It was then time to head for the main attraction that we had all come for ABBA, The Museum. This is an interactive exhibition showcasing the infamous pop groups collected works. Inside we had a knowledgeable tour guide and with our headphones on we listened to the band tell their own stories and memories from their incredible career. We were able to look at some of their original costumes and see a mock studio where they wrote and recorded some of their biggest hits. 

There was even a stage where some of us channelled our inner "DANCING QUEEN" and become the fifth member of ABBA by performing on the large stage together with Björn, Benny, Frida and Agnetha avatars to the sound of our favourite songs. We all received a huge round of applause from all the other ABBA fanatics and loved every second. Everyone managed to buy gifts of T-shirts, posters, badges, books and records as a small memento. 

We caught a bus, then walked to City Hall and the quayside where we boarded the M/S Prince Carl Philip boat which was built in 1901 and had been restored over the years. We powered through the scenic archipelago of Lake Mälaren to the world heritage site of Drottningholm Palace on the island of Ekerö. 

 Drottningholm is the best-preserved castle, built in the 17th century with its decor influenced by several kings and queens. Today the Swedish royal family use it as their permanent residence. Unfortunately, we didn't see them, but we did enjoy walking around their beautifully symmetrical palace gardens complete with fountains and manicured lawns. 

An ice cream treat in the sun is always a must!