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• Does your mother know ... about the new ABBA museum in Stockholm?
• North Korea's 'hotel of doom' opening debacle continues
• Frankfurt Skyscraper Festival: Weekend of highs and highers
• Wild Wellington: World's best city for animal lovers?

Does your mother know ... about the new ABBA museum in Stockholm? Posted: 24 Apr 2013 11:43 PM PDT Did you grow up singing "Waterloo"? Saw "Mamma Mia!" and fell in love? Or just always wondered why everyone makes such a big deal about the Eurovision Song Contest? Then congratulations -- you've been alive for at least 30 years. Now there's an ABBA museum that chronicles the most important band of your lifetime -- or at least the 1970s. (Sorry, but someone had to break the bad news to all those Zeppelin, Clash and Foghat fans.) ABBA has become a little like Woodstock -- millions of people who never made out inside a roller rink now claim a special connection to the era of "Dancing Queen," lutfisk bell bottoms and quadraphonic Swedish couples dysfunction played out in sunshiney, four-four grooves. Or something. Anyway, back to that song contest that most of the world still doesn't care about but that hard-core ABBA fans never fail to reference. "Next year marks the 40th anniversary of ABBA's break as winners in the Eurovision Song Contest of 1974 with the song 'Waterloo,'" says Mattias Hansson, CEO of ABBA The Museum. "And time has shown that ABBA songs probably will live on forever." Laying their love on you Opening May 7, Stockholm's new ABBA museum allows fans to take an interactive journey through the musical career of Sweden's most famous export (keep dreaming, IKEA). Exhibits explore the complicated dynamic of the four already successful artists as they journey from breakthrough sensation to major world artists to their turbulent demise in 1983 and evolution into international heroes who laid the groundwork for Ace of Base. Curated by the band's former stylist, Ingmarie Halling, the exhibition has taken two years to put together. Input and help has come from band members themselves. The ABBA museum will include numerous ABBA stage costumes, a 180-degree cinema and a studio where visitors can try their hand at mixing music. An audio guide features each member of ABBA telling their own stories about their career. "We are working with settings from the life of ABBA so (almost) everything has a place," says Halling. "Obviously, I have a lot of items that won't go in now, but I might use them for other small exhibits, like one about scriptwriting, where I can use all of Björn's old scripts and notes." Halling has curated ABBA exhibitions in the past, including ABBA World at Earl's Court in London in 2010. She says ABBA exhibits are popular with all ages, but especially those from the UK and Australia, as well as with families. "They come as families because mum and dad were old ABBA fans from younger days, granny was a grownup at the time and loved the music and the children love "Mamma Mia!" the musical and the film," says Halling. The ABBA museum forms part of the new Swedish Music Hall of Fame, a 2,000-square-meter exhibition space that features a mix of permanent and temporary exhibitions from 1920 to the present. Two other permanent collections, "The Story of Swedish Popular Music" and the Hall of Fame itself will open at the same time. In addition to the exhibitions, the building will house Melody, a 50-room boutique hotel, and an American steakhouse-inspired restaurant. ABBA The Museum and the Swedish Music Hall of Fame open May 7. ABBA The Museum, Djurgårdsvägen 68, Stockholm; www.abbathemuseum.com

North Korea's 'hotel of doom' opening debacle continues Posted: 24 Apr 2013 08:35 PM PDT The unfinished Ryugyong Hotel has dominated Pyongyang's skyline for more than two decades. This was going to be the year. The year that the infamous North Korean "hotel of doom" would finally open, allowing the world's more adventurous tourists to gawk at whatever ridiculous or bewildering or extravagant interior North Korea dreamed up for the colossal glass-plated money drain that has stood empty on the Pyongyang skyline for nearly three decades. The year that the hotel would start becoming a "money-printing machine," as Kempinski Hotels group CEO Reto Wittwer predicted at a Seoul business forum in 2012, when it was announced the company would be managing the 105-story property. But despite speculation that swept through the travel world about an official opening as early as this summer, it looks like Pyongyang's 330-meter Ryugyong Hotel will keep its Guinness World Record as the tallest unoccupied building. At least for a while. Kempinksi's entry 'not currently possible' Following recent tensions with North Korea, the Geneva-based Kempinski Hotels chain issued a statement earlier this month distancing itself from the project. "Kempinski confirms that KEY International, its joint venture partner in China with Beijing Tourism Group (BTG), had initial discussions to operate a hotel in Pyongyang, North Korea, however no agreement has been signed since market entry is not currently possible," reads a statement Kempinski provided to CNN via email. When asked about possible future entry, a Kempinski representative said, "you just never know what might happen in the future." Also on CNN: Gallery - The unseen face of Pyongyang Reporting from the inside The projected 2013 launch seems to have been optimistic in the first place. Despite its flashy exterior, the hotel's interior showed no sign of being close to completion in December, according to Simon Parry, a Hong Kong-based freelance journalist who took an unauthorized look inside the hotel last year. After entering North Korea as a tourist on a four-day trip from China, Parry lied to his North Korean minder that he was going for an early morning jog, ran straight to the Ryugyong Hotel and made it into the lobby. He looked around and took pictures before being spotted by a North Korean soldier. "When I stepped through scaffolding into the lobby and looked inside, there were no completed surfaces, just bare concrete and one electric light hanging down," Parry told CNN. A few days prior to his secret visit, Parry's tour group had seen lines of soldiers with shovels marching in and out of the hotel complex. "From what I saw of the inside, it's a concrete shell," said the journalist, who added that his hotel foray was a "foolish thing to do." "Hotel of doom" awaits its launch. Fortunately, no one pursued Parry as he made his way back to his hotel. When he returned to his tour group, he was reported to the tour guide who demanded to see his camera but didn't follow through with any punishment. Despite the unfinished interior, Parry describes the hotel as "fantastic from the outside -- it's dazzling, coated in expensive glass tiles." The juxtaposition of the spaceship-like building with its humble surroundings is dramatic, he adds. "In the morning and evening the effect of the sun's reflection blazing down over the rest of the city is extraordinary," said Parry. Delayed for decades The North Koreans started erecting the 330-meter Ryugyong Hotel, the tallest hotel at the time, in 1987, with the opening scheduled for 1989. It's estimated to have so far cost $750 million, or 2% of the nation's GDP. But the 1989 completion was delayed, reportedly due to construction method and material problems, and then delayed again in 1992 because of funding issues. The project ground to a halt completely in 1993. Construction re-commenced in 2008 when Egyptian telecommunications company Orascom shelled out $180 million to complete the building's glass façade. The investment was reported to be part of a $400 million mobile phone license that the company won from the North Korean government in 2008. Also on CNN: The happiest place in North Korea

Frankfurt Skyscraper Festival: Weekend of highs and highers Posted: 24 Apr 2013 07:00 PM PDT Frankfurt not only has the most skyscrapers of any European city, they're also packed together like architectural sardines. And every year the city's Skyscraper Festival opens up these boisterous buildings to visitors. From May 25-26, at least 18 buildings open to the general public free of charge, allowing them to explore the architecture and enjoy views across Frankfurt. Only 80,000 tickets are allocated for high-rise access, but there will be a number of fringe programs too. Visitors can see base-jumpers parachuting from rooftops and demonstrations by Frankfurt Police Department's SWAT team, the state's Airborne Police Squadron and the fire department's high-level rescue team. There will also be a world record attempt -- Reinhard Kleindl, a pro athlete from Switzerland, will attempt the highest urban highline walk at Tower 185. Tickets are now available from www.ffh.de. More information and a program is available on www.wolkenkratzer-festival.de.

Wild Wellington: World's best city for animal lovers? Posted: 24 Apr 2013 03:00 PM PDT In New Zealand's capital, wildlife sightings are a part of daily life, thanks to the city's green policies and development of countless parks, nature reserves and walking tracks.  Here's a case -- or a few cases -- for why Wellington may be the best city in the world for spotting wildlife.  Orcas and other dolphins Another day, another orca in Wellington Harbour. In February, at Wellington Harbour, 100 dolphins spent a week hanging out with residents before moving back out to sea. Then in March, several pods of orcas came to visit the harbor as they hunted stingrays, drawing out high profile visitors, like "The Hobbit" director Sir Peter Jackson.  For rentals and tours, try Fergs Kayaks, 6 Queens Wharf, +64 (0)4 499 8898, www.fergskayaks.co.nz Fur seals Fur seals -- recognizable by their external ears and large, rotating flippers -- are endemic to New Zealand and southern Australia. New Zealand fur seal colonies can be spotted just minutes from downtown at the southern Red Rocks or on a longer day trip to eastern Cape Palliser.  While local colonies are mostly comprised of large males, the cuter sights of mothers with pups are common from August through October. Wild horses and goats, a legacy of New Zealand's earliest settlers, also frequent the Red Rocks.  Visit the fur seals with Seal Coast Safari, 32A Leftbank, Cuba Mall; +64 (0)4 801 6040; www.sealcoast.co.nz Little blue penguins The little blue penguin is the smallest penguin species in the world. Little blue penguins, the smallest penguin species in the world, can be found nesting all around the coastline of Wellington's suburbs. The slate-blue, flightless birds with white bellies weigh a little more than a kilogram. The best time to see them is at dusk when the parents come home to tend to their chicks and sleep in their burrows. Not all Wellington residents love them. While the birds may be cute, they do have the annoying habit of crawling underneath homes and making lots of noise during mating. Visiting drivers should take note of the penguin crossing signs dotted along the coastline -- the birds often waddle across the street to reach their nests. In an effort to allow penguins to raise their young in relative safety by the sea and eliminate the need for them to keep crossing roads, Places for Penguins, a program by the conservation group Forest and Bird and the Wellington Zoo, has placed more than 200 nesting boxes along the southern coast. For optimal penguin viewing, walk or drive along the coastline at dusk. Be sure to observe any signage and instructions so as not to disturb nests or protected colonies Kapiti Island Nature Reserve Kaka (forest parrots) are plentiful on Kapiti Island. Five kilometers off the western coast, Kapiti Island is New Zealand's most important island nature reserve. Human impact on the island is kept to a minimum to prevent introduction of pests to the closed ecosystem -- just 160 people are allowed in per day. Visitors can access only two areas of the island and require a permit from the Department of Conservation. Flightless kiwi, weka and takahē as well as kaka (forest parrots) and the rotund but beautiful kereru (New Zealand pigeon) are among the many bird species plentiful in the area. Overnight stays are possible at a private lodge on the island. Boats to the island depart from the Kapiti Boating Club at Paraparaumu Beach, an hour north by car from Wellington. Zealandia: The Karori Sanctuary Tuatara, also known as the "living dinosaur," has a third eye under its skin and can be spotted at Zealandia. Zealandia is a beautiful sanctuary valley located minutes from downtown. Rare and highly endangered animals such as tuatara (a "living dinosaur" with a third eye under its reptilian skin), flightless takahē and little spotted kiwi live in the 225-hectare park. A secure fence keeps out invasive non-native species like stoats, rabbits and rats. Birds such as the kaka and morepork (New Zealand's only surviving native owl) fly in and out of the area freely. Visitors can encounter friendly wildlife up close via trails open to hikers of all levels and also accessible by wheelchair. Recommended: guided night tours to see nocturnal species, such as the kiwi. Zealandia, End of Waiapu Road, Karori; +64 (0)4 920 9200; www.visitzealandia.com Te Papa's colossal squid Te Papa's colossal squid display will do wonders for your diet. While dead specimens on display behind glass wouldn't normally rate in the wildlife category, Te Papa, New Zealand's national museum, possesses an exception. The museum's 495-kilogram colossal squid is the only intact specimen in the world, which are shorter but much bulkier and heavier than giant squid. Originally caught off Antarctica in 2007, the specimen is 4.2 meters long, but is believed to have been a bit larger before it was frozen during the preservation process. Also at the museum are exhibits of moa, a group of flightless birds that grew up to 3.7 meters tall and weighed more than 227 kilograms.  Moa were then the largest flightless birds in the world before they were hunted to extinction about 600 years ago. Te Papa, like all of New Zealand's public museums, offers free admission. Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, 55 Cable St., Wellington, New Zealand;  +64 4 381 7000; 10 a.m.- 6 p.m. daily (until 9 p.m. on Thursdays) Coming up: Ocean Exploration Centre Wellington recently announced plans for a new NZ$36 million ($30.2 million) New Zealand Ocean Exploration Centre to be built at Lyall Bay.  The aquarium will feature the largest undersea viewing window in the southern hemisphere, and lead visitors through reefs, a sunken ship, a whale skeleton and a jellyfish tunnel before bringing them back to the surface. More on CNN: World's 20 cutest wild animals -- and where to find them

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