Alright, I’ve got one of those “Which flavour of ice cream” decisions. I’m a Canadian university student working in Belgium for a few months, and at the end, I have just under two weeks to ride around and see Europe. I’ll already have pretty much explored Belgium by that point, so I’m looking at other interesting places. There’s a rail pass deal (six travel days in three bordering countries for a good price), so I’m going to use that, for the economy and the flexibility. I’ve boiled my choice down to going to three places, and spending 3-4 days in each (with maybe some little side trips to use up the extra travel days) - this is for expense and practicality.
- Paris: The last stop, because my flight home leaves from there. And they have a cool subway system.
- Germany: Either the first or second stop. Lots of cool history and fancy stuff, and Bavaria has always sounded neat. My main stop there would either be Berlin or Munich.
- For the third slot, I’m stuck. I can’t decide which of these is the better option:
a) Netherlands: Amsterdam for architecture, history, and a look at a very unique city. Rotterdam, den Haag (major city on the world scene), spectacular feats of engineering like dikes and the North Sea reclamation and that Delta Project. Maybe Maastrict, too (even though I know nothing of it but the EU treaty and the SDMB poster)
b) Austria: Vienna - all the same things as Amsterdam, but different. Mountains. Um… probably other cool stuff.
I’ve been trying to come up with a way to choose one over the other for a few weeks, but the deadline is approaching because I need it mailed to me in time to use it. I figure I’ll buy it on Monday; it should be here in time. I’m gonna mull it over on the weekend (mind you, I don’t have consistent internet access then… so I can’t check this thread often 
)
So… if I’ve only got one chance to see a part of Europe, which should I go for? Amsterdam or Vienna? Does anybody live in one of these countries, and wants to sell me on it? Is one of them going to be way more expensive? Which is prettier in mid-to-late November? Engineering, culture, the natural environment, architecture, activity… what do they have to offer?
(By the way, langauge isn’t a huge issue. Neither my Dutch or German is very good, but they’re about the same)