I'm happy that Mike Lawson of Soapers Choice got back to me today about an issue I had with my last order from them. He said
"I'll do whatever this takes to make this right for you."
There must be someone, somewhere that's experienced with Europe who can help you figure out some kind of touring or adventure you can have with short time and short cash.
When our son got stationed in Germany with the Air Force, we said,
"It's now or never!" and planned a month long trip to Europe -- started and ended in Germany. Bought a Rail Pass before leaving the States that allowed us 2 week's travel by train, boat, bus, subway, etc. for free all over, starting in Switzerland, 6 days in Paris, Austria, Lichtenstein. Went at the end of Sept into October, October Fest Season, and we went to several events -- including a parade in Grevenmacher, Luxumbourg, that featured floats from all the wineries in the area. There were lots of free things to do every where, all destinations were pedestrian friendly once we got there, we didn't need a car at all! The most fun was hanging out with the locals. We left home with $3,000 in Traveler's checks; and returned with $1,500. Now that's frugal!
@ Janel: Eat, drink & be merry! You're on an expense account!
ETA: Ditto what Dibbles said. In Paris, you can buy cheeses and meats by the slice, baguettes, and they'll even pop the cork on a split of wine for you. After paying for our goodies, we walked to the Tuileries across the street and had a picnic.