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Sydney Morning Herald

The new way to see Europe – travelling via the ‘unbucket list'

This is Nordic bohemianism, which means that middle-class people sit in cute cafés and bistros, lie on park lawns, and jog while pushing prams. Frederiksberg's cultural aspirations are a bit posh, but you can safely ignore its little theatres and museum devoted to Danish writers. I did wander into Cisternerne, a subterranean former water reservoir turned striking art space, hidden under a hill in Sondermarken Park. But you don't want to be underground for long in Frederiksberg, which is graced with abundant parks of un-Australian greenness and politely twittering birds. From Sondermarken Park I skirt Frederiksberg Palace, onetime royal summer residence but – phew – seldom open for visits. The gardens though have been open to the public since 1852. And there the public still is, picnicking on lawns, strolling around lakes, and being ogled by elephants in the adjacent zoo. I spend a happy hour here: Copenhagen at its most delightful. Then I walk past a statue of Frederik VI – thanks mate for your green space – and cross the street where I spot a church, thundering with the music of an organist at practice. Right behind it I discover the world's most beautiful cemetery, Frederiksberg Aeldre. Lovely trees, clipped hedges, gorgeous flowerbeds, polished tombstones framed in more flowers: it would almost be worth dropping dead in Copenhagen to end up here. The cemetery is at the top of Frederiksberg Allé, one of the city's most gracious streets. If you stroll down it, pause for a rest on a bench in Sankt Thomas Plads, or join residents for a café brunch, although Danish brunches – rye bread, thinly sliced cheese, boiled eggs – are austere. But that's real life, isn't it? Better than a full English tourist brunch downtown. That's how my days pass in Copenhagen, mooching about, walking nice streets, being nosey, admiring the Scandinavian chic of independent boutiques along Værnedamsvej. I find another public park (Haveselskabets) and a horticultural garden (Landbohojskolens) where locals stare at apple trees. So I stare at apple trees too, and at passing Danes, and imagine being a Dane myself. And if anyone asks me what I did in Copenhagen, I'll have to say I did nothing much at all, but I've never had a better time. THE DETAILS Loading Fly Turkish Airlines flies from Melbourne and Sydney to Copenhagen via Istanbul. See Stay Hotel Ottilia in a converted factory close to Sondermarken Park features industrial chic, stylish Nordic furniture, a great rooftop restaurant and very welcoming staff. Rooms from DKK 1266 ($305) a night. See