Wooo...so, I'm kind of doing the whole "bum around Europe" thing in a little bit, in a very condensed way. Just five days or so. I'm set to train into Brussels from London, and so I'm looking for any advice/suggested stops based on that general location. As I'm not too familiar with European rail systems, I don't know if I can but I would like to spend at least a day or so in Paris; is this the kind of thing that I should have booked way in advance, or is rail travel on the continent at least somewhat possible with shorter notice?

Beyond that...any advice for the first time traveling alone in a strange land? I'm sure that somewhere out there, one of you has some valuable anecdote you've been waiting to share for ages.