of troy; Thanks for the information about old new Amsterdam. In the prelapsarian period (in the discipline of this thread) in which I still travelled a lot I spent a few winters in the Berkshires (Mass). I always brought my speed skates.
Ultimate bucolic setting to me was a frozen lake near Great Barrington
(1979)where I was alone on the deep frozen ice on my skates. Not a soul to be seen. Only snow on the hills, grey sky and the sound of the irons touching the ice. Heaven!
Here I would not have a chance to be all alone on the ice. No way.
But when winters her really strike all the cliche numbers from your list are still there. I'm glad you felt at home in Amsterdam.
Alternative Grand Tours are now often done in west- Canada. The real long-distance addicts and professinels (they do excist)have no patience to wait for the good frost to come. They move to Austria Switserland or Canada. They also tried Finland and froze to bits.