Day 2: Bruges

With our handy-dandy Rick Steves' Guide to Amsterdam, Bruges, and Brussels we set off on a mid-morning train to explore the quintessential tourist town of Bruges.
The weather was perfect and the town was picturesque, so of course our day consisted of walking past and through many of the main monuments while avoiding crowds.
We ducked into an empty Italian restaurant for a quiet lunch, then walked up the 300-something-steps of the Bell Tower for a view of the city. It was a bit dizzying coming down, and very hot and stifling. Our reward: chocolates from the Dumon family chocolate shop.
We had a magical moment when we stumbled upon a quiet courtyard resonating with the chords of a harpist's song.

As the afternoon wound down, we enjoyed a canal cruise before strolling back to the train station.

Back in Brussels, dinner was a late and light affair at a small restaurant with smoky wall mirrors and warm wood paneling. Ambling back to the hotel to pack, we savored a bite of chocolate before buckling down and packing up for our morning flight to Kigali.