Four countries in four weeks is a lot of travel. You should narrow down your list of towns/cities to visit.

I don't think it would be a waste at all. Yes it will be cold and dark early but there is lots to do during the day and if you don't mind the cold there are cafes at night.

Figure out what, if any, questions you have and come back with them.

I loved Krakow and Wroclaw in Poland. You should probably focus on major cities so there is enough indoor activities to keep you entertained. The smaller towns, while lovely, don't have much sightseeing to offer.

Will you have a car or will you take trains? A car gives you more flexibility to travel outside the cities but is an added expense.

You're right, this is a broad list. My priorities are Poland(Warsaw, Krakow, Gdansk), Prague, Austria(Vienna, Salzburg).

I would obviously squeeze out as much outdoor exploring in daylight hours and will likely spend the evening in cafe's and bars, museums etc. I will be doing lots of sketching and writing. There is an overwhelming amount of museums and galleries, which is great, generally speaking how late are they open?

I plan on taking a train for the most part, I may be renting a car in Poland though since I am interested in several cites and have some bases there (family,friends).

At that time o f year it will be cold - but not arctic. As long as you're dressed properly you will be fine. And you seem to want to do mostly indoor things. Naturally the countryside will be drab and dreary - but as long as you stick to bigger cities you should be fine.

But agree that 4 countries in 4 weeks is a lot. Which cities are you planning o? Germany especially has a plethora of places to visit with wonderful art to be seen. I think you just need to get into the details of what's where, which cities you want to see and how long to spend there.

> will likely spend the evening in ... museums

I could easily be wrong, but I would be surprised if you find many museums that are open in the evenings. You can probably check hours for most major museums on-line.

Enjoy!

Most museums are not open in the evenings although some have one late opening night. Prague and Krakow will have lots of sketching opportunities, even at night. I imagine people will be in the main squares at night. In Krakow the cafes have propane heaters and put out blankets for their customers. I haven't been to Gdansk but Krakow is much prettier than Warsaw and the main square has more night life. There would be lots of interesting sights to sketch in Kasimierz.

Depending on what you want to sketch I'd say Krakow and Prague are sketching wonderlands. Krakow is one of my favorite cities.

If you want to visit museums, galleries, and sketch and write your list is still too long. Prague and Poland would be more than enough for 4 weeks.

You should also prepare for wet/damp weather and have boots that keep your feet warm and dry.