Waltm Loc: Fredericksburg, VA

Thanks, Morning Star. I have only really old memories of the Gardens, but I did use up a whole lot of film there back in the day.

mikedent Loc: Florida

You are so lucky to go in summer with best chances of good weather! Don't miss Cologne Cathedral, awesome place, darkish inside, use wide angle and high iso. Try "Rudesheim Coffee" sold in many local restaurants, made with Uralt brandy and real whipped cream. Try to do Lake Lucerne boat ride, we could not due to poor weather. Try to get to Mt. Pilatus for supposedly great views. Beautiful old town walking district, but remember Switzerland is very expensive. Watches you can get cheaper in US. Many lovely views on the Rhein, you won't leave the boat's deck! Strasbourg has awesome French building/medieval styles amd outdoor cafes. Just gorgeous for the whole route!

LoneRangeFinder Loc: Left field

Some missed "mentions" for Amsterdam:

Rijksmuseum and the Heineken Brewery. It was years ago but I believe they are virtually neighbors.

A bit about tickets: get them ahead of time-- book ahead of time and purchase your tickets before you go-- you'll be able to walk right in and avoid the long lines. This is true of many places through Europe: the Vatican, the Uffizi in Florence, the Coliseum in Rome, etc….

brow3904 Loc: Upstate South Carolina

Just returned from a month in Europe and used my 18-250 almost exclusively. That worked pretty well for me.

Kishka Loc: Grafton, WI

The Speyer Cathedral is Europe's largest Romanesque church, the crypt famous for its architecture and the tombs of several Holy Roman Emperors, including Rudolf von Hapsburg, the first of the Hapsburg dynasty. The church is on UNESCO World Heritage List with good reason.

Find one of the many available books on the Rhine to familiarize yourself with the landmarks and to keep score of the many castles with their accompanying legends. For WWII buffs, the boat will pass the remains of the Remagen bridge that provided the first Rhine crossing of US troops in WWII, just the dark stone towers on each bank of the river.

Enjoy your trip!

DrWilk Loc: .

Cologne doesnt have anything historic to see other than the Cathedral. The city was devastated during the war and virtually flattened except for the church. But be sure to climb the cathedral steeple. If I remember correctly it's the South steeple you climb. It's the fourth tallest church in the world and the climb up is exhausting and a little claustraphobic but well worth it.

Kishka Loc: Grafton, WI

On the south side of the Cologne Cathedral lies the Roman-Germanic Museum, exhibiting the city's founding by the Romans in the first century. A few blocks to the southwest is the Wallraf-Richartz Art Museum, wonderful collection. If neither hold one's interest, try the Schokoladenmuseum, Chocolate Museum, two bridges south of the Cathedral along the river. They do offer samples!

Again, do some research, buy a guide book, find out what the stops have to offer on this great excursion.

planepics Loc: St. Louis burbs, but originally Chicago burbs

Sounds like my 15-day trip to the Holy Land next year for my birthday. I made my reservation 4/5/15 and am leaving 6/9/16! It will be my longest trip by 4 days, my farthest trip (Germany, also a self-birthday-preset) and BY FAR my most expensive trip. My sister also showed me that there are geocaches where I'll be going - I signed up last year, but still haven't looked for one. She said there are geocaches on the space station, the ocean floor and everywhere in-between. In Europe, where I think it got started, it's packed with them! because of restrictions on baggage (tour and plane) I'm regrettable leaving my DSLR at home. I bought a Panasonic LUMIX FZ-200 from another UHHer in Nevada. I's lighter than even one of my lenses and seems, so far, to take some decent pics. I guess I'll have to wait another year or two for a FF camera....

josephnl Loc: Irvine,, CA

Amsterdam! I've been to Amsterdam more times than I can count. A couple of days cannot possibly do it justice. That being said, I'd get over to the Herengracht (canal) as quickly as possible (tram or taxi), walk it from end to end, and the if you want more canal shots, proceed to the next outer canals, Keizersgracht or Prinsengracht and do the same. When you've had enough canal shots, if you enjoy photographing people, go to Dam Square and walk around a bit. If you enjoy art museums (I do), it's an absolute crime to visit AMS and not visit the Rijksmuseum, home of many Vermeers, Rembrandts, etc. It's spectacular, clearly one of the very best art museums in the world. Also, for fans of Van Gogh, the VG Museum is a treasure. And...please don't visit Amsterdam without stopping at one of the very many "brown" cafes along the canals and have a Heinekin or Amstel draft beer. (they are called " brown", because of the color of the ceiling from centuries of cigarette smoke! Enjoy!

planepics Loc: St. Louis burbs, but originally Chicago burbs

My cousin is in Amsterdam right now. His boss, the owner of Taylor Guitars, Bob Taylor, gave him a free week of vacation anywhere in the world for an anniversary present (he was Bob Talyor's first employee and is still working for him after over 30 yrs, with a short absence during lean times when he was laid off or was asked to leave. When I got a tour of Taylor Guitars from my cousin a few decades ago, they only had a small plant in Lemon Grove CA. Now they a plant in Mexico and a distribution center/warehouse in Amsterdam (where he is now).

LeeSart Loc: Valrico, Florida

We were fortunate to go to the Roman museum also. Fascinating as to the mosaics and other artifacts. It was a little gem.

lightandshadowjourney Loc: Virginia

Please let us know (by posting pics) how this trip goes for you. We are there late summer and then back again next late spring. May get some shots of the largest public festival in Europe!