Where to go, what route, how's the weather, and for how long?

One idea that guys and I have kicked around is that I'll spend about 3-4 in the big cities-the Eurail hubs, so to speak-London, Paris, Helsinki, Rome, all those sorts of travel meccas. But the outlying areas, the villages and small towns, the teeny dots barely visible on the map, shouldn't be neglected.

Each city can also include some "serendipity time", to account for the random tips and must-see places you pick up once you're in a place. And luckily, a place isn't made worthwhile simply because there are lots of people there. (Sometimes just the opposite is true!)

Here's some options I've been kicking around.