My suggestion for a European trip that accomodates both city and countryside would be Reyjkavik, Iceland. Due to the almost nonexistance of wood, Reyk isn't the prettiest city I've ever seen, but it does have its charm. It's church is especially beautiful and different from all other European churches. It's small, quaint and very friendly. It's also has a great music scene if you're into the new music (think Bjork). The clubs are open until 7:00AM and the restaurants and food are wondeful. The outskirts of the city has awsome countryside and not like anything else in the world (the closest I've seen would be New Zealand). Almost no grass or tree's, but thick, knee deep moss covering the grey/black lava rocks. Lots of geysirs and natural hot pools and lagoons (most famous is the Blue Lagoon). Swimming is the favorite pastime and can be done outdoors even in winter because the pools are heated from inside the earth. The famous Icelandic horses with their short legs have a fifth gait that no other horse has which allows them to navigate the lava rocks easily, so horseback riding is another nice option. Snowmobiling can be done about 8 months of the year as well.

If you live in the northeast, the flight from NYC or Boston is only 5 hours.

Candice NYC