Heed Matata's advice. All of it. Especially about rail passes.
Of all the people I met in Europe (ran a hostel in Rome for a year), the ones having the most fun were people without iteneraries, people that were travelling with same sex friend, people that travelled alone.
People having the least fun were couples (though not unilaterally true), large groups (hard to find on the fly accomidation), people who over planned and tried to cram too much stuff in, people who travelled with an organizational freak that insisted on leaving a fun place because they "had" to stick to a schedule.
Once you've seen a few churches and castles, let the rest of your trip revolve around having fun. Backpacking europe is not about seeing stuff. It's about experiencing different cultures and meeting people. Overplanning Europe is like those vacations you used to go on with your parents. They made all the decisions and you were along for the ride. Let loose and just go where you hear is fun.
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