I'm happy to hear that my timing was good for you Dick!
The reason that I heard about the sale is that I
subscribe to Rick's "Travel News" and "Radio Waves" mailing lists... No spam, just good info. I also recommend Rick's podcasts of his syndicated radio show available via the iTunes Store. I download the shows that interest me and listen to them on my iPod while turning the compost pile and doing other relatively mindless tasks...
My wife and I are tentatively planning a European sojourn next spring for 3-4 weeks. I'll begin delving into our myriad guidebooks in the next week or so... We know that we want to be in Amsterdam on April 30 for
Queen's Day, but that's as far as we have gotten at this point planning-wise.