Okay you guys were totally right, doing multiple stops is the way to go and not any more expensive. So right now, I'm thinking Vancouver to Reykjavik for a few days, fly to Munich for a few days, train to Brussels for a day or two, train to Bruges for a day or two, train to Amsterdam for a few days, then fly home from Amsterdam. Are Brussels and Bruges too similar? I wasn't thinking of it, but to train from Munich to Bruges you pass through Brussels anyway. Thoughts?
You really need to spend some time with a good guide on Belgium and the Netherlands. Brussels is a major metro city of nearly 2 million, capital of Belgium, HQ for NATO and European Union, etc. Bruges is small Gothic town built around a town square. There is little similarity between the two other than both are in Belgium.
May I ask the motivation for choosing Munich and Bruges as your city pairs. They seem so disparate. There are other German experiences much closer to Belgium.