I'd give Poland a general bodyswerve - it's not a good place if you don't have a working understanding of either Polish/similar language or German. Warsaw is a complete dump, even by Eastern Europe standards and it just feels like they're still stuck in the early 90's. It's a pretty intimidating place - and because of the place being razed in WW2, there's not much of a 'must see' about there.
The Baltic countries are probably worth a visit if you can - the rail infrastructure is a bit crap there, but Lithuania in particular is ridiculously clean. Latvia has the most charm though - probably because it's a little bit behind Estonia and Lithuania in their development. In Riga, the tourist side of things isn't as developed as Estonia's and so there's more to enjoy - there's a particularly brilliant little museum in the old town called the "Museum of the Barricades", dedicated to those that built and manned the barricades during the events of 1990-1991 and the struggle for independence.
In Berlin, I'd recommend getting lost on purpose - it's a fantastic city, yet there's history screaming at you from all over the place. I'd also try and catch something at the Tranenpalast (Palace of Tears) before it gets torn down too. I also loved the Potsdamer Platz despite the fact that it's all new - walking from there to the Brandenburg Gate (taking in the location of Hitler's bunker and the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe) is very touritsty, but is a definitely must do in my experience. It's also worth taking a trip on the Spree if you can. I think the walk along the Strasse des 17 Juni and Unter Den Linden is unappreciated too - particularly if you do the entire walk from the monument (I forget the name) on the Strasse des 17. Juni to the Berliner Dom/Palast der Republik. The Tiergarten is nice at any time of the year, too. Apart from that, Berlin is absolutely ram packed of things to see of a historical context - though they are sadly hell bent on eliminating almost every trace of what East Germany left behind.
As for France - as far as I've found, the best bet is simply to explore. Northern France is a bit hit or miss though - if you're going to Brittany, then it's not really different - and the North East of the country is just industrial heartlands. I'd personally recommend heading down towards places like the Massif Central - far enough away from the Riveria to not be full of tourists, yet decent climate (if the Mistral isn't blowing, that is!) at this time of year. From there, you can also make a few side trips - for instance, the (Spanish) Basque Country is a beautiful place, San Sebastian (Donostia to the Basques) has a beautiful bay and a lot of charm. Generally speaking though, keep away from the coasts and the ski resorts and you'll be fine in France.
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