All Germans speak good English. Same with the Dutch. So the bare essentials will be do-able. But... being a non-native speaker in a foreign country is difficult. I lived in Amsterdam so what I'm talking about is from my own experience. You can feel very alone because of the language barrier. You can't understand 90% of whats being said around you. Think about that. You can't make quick friendships with strangers. In a bar someone will speak to you and you have to say "I don't speak Dutch"... they act polite and move on. The Netherlands is easier than Germany because you can just blurt out English without asking permission. They will respond in English without acting insulted (but thats the end of it).. France is the opposite. You will be ignored in France if you just speak English. Germans are friendlier than the Dutch and will invite you into their homes for the rest of your life. Berlin in specific is much like NYC - an art city with so much happening and so much to do. It is giant. I took 1 year of german in college to prepare for my journey. The Netherlands is really big on bikes. They already have singlespeed bikes! Bring your own and it will be very cool. Try Amsterdam if you want to just get away and need to survive on English only.