Very interesting, Peter. We often drive by that complex on our way to my parent's farm. My parents went on a garden tour there once. Did you know that when they rebuilt the church brick-by-brick they had some left over, which they used to build the little shrine on the lawn outside?

As far as Europe, my advice would be to avoid the trap of visiting only large, famous cities (London, Paris, etc.) Of course, they all have some sights you shouldn't miss, but every big city is quite a bit like another big city! I have enjoyed my time in small towns much more, as one gets much more of the regional flavor.

You can buy rail passes tailored for your travel plans: http://www.railpass.com/EURAIL/PASSES/

Rail passes are not always the cheapest option, though, unless you're doing a lot of traveling. They also are not as convenient as I originally pictured, as one still has to check in to ensure seats are available. People in Europe also take buses a lot, especially between smaller towns. Even if there is rail service, it is sometimes faster and more direct to take a bus. Liv and I did that to get to Annecy, France from Geneva: we would have had to transfer two times to take the train, so I followed some stranger's advice on the Internet and we took a coach bus instead. It was direct, comfortable, inexpensive, and had about five runs each way every day.