James, you're most welcome and I appreciate the compliments! I used a Nikon D70 with the Nikkor 18-70mm AF-S kit lens for all the shots taken. The only filter I have on the lens is a Hoya HMC UV filter to protect the front element. I got those colours by cranking up the colour saturation settings, and using the warmest white-balance setting possible (usually Shade -3) plus most of those photos were taken at sunrise or sunset. My roommate had a Canon 400D too. Great little camera, and definitely way more compact than my D70 set-up. That's a really fast zoom you're eyeing and like you said, pricey! And here I thought the Nikkor 18-200mm VR I've been saving up for was bad 
Since you don't have an ideal do-it-all zoom perhaps the P&S might make more sense. Carrying extra lenses and swapping them outdoors can become a chore, not to mention the risk of dropping/losing a lens or getting dust monsters on your CCD sensor.
That said, the image quality and control that a DSLR gives you can make the difference between an awesome or a ho-hum shot. A lot of my photos were taken from a moving car, which required me to anticipate and frame my shots in advance, with the timing of the shutter release being absolutely crucial. I can't emphasize the battery-life issue enough though; If use of the LCD panel is kept to a minimum, my D70 can easily fill a 1GB card on a fully-charged battery, and on my image settings that means 700-800 shots on average.
You could also consider buying a cheaper zoom lens second-hand, which you might be able to sell after your trip without making a loss if you catch a good deal. The 17-55mm F3.5-5.6 EF-S kit lens seems decent optically, if you can overlook the build quality. I'm on KEH right now, and there's one in "EX" (excellent) condition going for $89 sans shipping if you wanna go this route. However if you decide on the DSLR, be prepared to lug it around wherever you go if you don't want to miss any photo opportunities. I'll be honest here and tell you that it does get tedious sometimes, but it was well worth the trouble to me. Make sure to get a compact "walkaround" bag as well if you decide on the DSLR; I use a Lowepro Photo Runner myself.
It's really up to you since you know yourself best, but as is probably obvious by now, my vote goes to the DSLR + cheap zoom lens. Let me know if you're keen on renting a car, and I could give you some pointers and advice with that too. I see you're landing in Amsterdam; You probably know this, but if you intend to try the organic products the Netherlands is famous for, I'd advise trying the funghi only if you have a safe environment and the right frame of mind. I'm told the leafy stuff there is stronger than normal The frites there are amazing by the way!!
Since you don't have an ideal do-it-all zoom perhaps the P&S might make more sense. Carrying extra lenses and swapping them outdoors can become a chore, not to mention the risk of dropping/losing a lens or getting dust monsters on your CCD sensor.
That said, the image quality and control that a DSLR gives you can make the difference between an awesome or a ho-hum shot. A lot of my photos were taken from a moving car, which required me to anticipate and frame my shots in advance, with the timing of the shutter release being absolutely crucial. I can't emphasize the battery-life issue enough though; If use of the LCD panel is kept to a minimum, my D70 can easily fill a 1GB card on a fully-charged battery, and on my image settings that means 700-800 shots on average.
You could also consider buying a cheaper zoom lens second-hand, which you might be able to sell after your trip without making a loss if you catch a good deal. The 17-55mm F3.5-5.6 EF-S kit lens seems decent optically, if you can overlook the build quality. I'm on KEH right now, and there's one in "EX" (excellent) condition going for $89 sans shipping if you wanna go this route. However if you decide on the DSLR, be prepared to lug it around wherever you go if you don't want to miss any photo opportunities. I'll be honest here and tell you that it does get tedious sometimes, but it was well worth the trouble to me. Make sure to get a compact "walkaround" bag as well if you decide on the DSLR; I use a Lowepro Photo Runner myself.
It's really up to you since you know yourself best, but as is probably obvious by now, my vote goes to the DSLR + cheap zoom lens. Let me know if you're keen on renting a car, and I could give you some pointers and advice with that too. I see you're landing in Amsterdam; You probably know this, but if you intend to try the organic products the Netherlands is famous for, I'd advise trying the funghi only if you have a safe environment and the right frame of mind. I'm told the leafy stuff there is stronger than normal
The frites there are amazing by the way!!
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