An Afternoon in Amsterdam

A few days ago, I went to Amsterdam with my mother. We wandered the streets, looking for a cozy cafe for a quick coffee and maybe a lunch. On Kaizersgracht, we spotted a place called Bagels & Beans. It was in one of those charming old buildings with multi-pane windows – the kind that make me want to go inside.

There was a large and long wooden ledge by the window where customers could sit and enjoy their drinks. Three people were already there. 

One young woman was on a video call on a laptop, completely ignoring the view from the charming multiple-pane windows. Next to her, there was an empty chair. And next to that empty chair, two women – one in her 60s and the other in her 30s– were chatting warmly. I wanted to sit there with my mother, so I hoped one of them would leave. While I had these thoughts on my mind, the waiter approached and asked us if we would like to sit. So, we chose the table closest to the window. 

We ordered our drinks and lunch, and luckily, before our orders were ready, the girl on the video call packed up and left. We wasted no time –  my mother and I slipped into that spot and enjoyed our meal.

After about 40 minutes, we decided to walk to Central Station – it felt nicer to wander and take in the city along the way. As we strolled down from Kaizersgracht to the Central Station, a bookstore caught my eye.

Why had I never heard of this place before? Apparently, it’s the biggest bookstore in Amsterdam and the surrounding area. On the first floor, I saw rows of books in Dutch — it felt like walking into a restaurant full of delicious dishes, each one tempting me to try a taste. My natural impulse, of course, was to buy them all! I had to use every ounce of willpower that I had to stop that urge:) Anyway, I picked up *Rewitched* by Lucy Jane Wood.  

Then we headed up to the second floor, which was dedicated entirely to books in English.

I picked up another book — *The Honey Witch*. Before going any further, I noticed the cash desk and decided to pay for the books I had found. The third floor, luckily, was the children’s section, so there wasn’t much to distract me there.  

I started with *The Honey Witch*. It had all the elements I love: witches, honey, flowers, and that charming old-time setting of the 1800s.

Somehow, though, I just couldn’t get into the book. The author seems promising, but this one didn’t quite work for me. It was an easy read, but there were several logical inconsistencies in the story — or at least, that’s how it felt to me. I won’t go into all of them, but one stood out in particular.  

The story is set in the 1800s, where the “honey witch” — a young girl — falls in love with another witch, also a girl. Her brother, meanwhile, is in love with another boy. What struck me was how casually their parents accepted and supported these relationships. From what I could gather, the brother even seemed to be dreaming of marriage, and it was treated as entirely plausible.  

It’s strange — I can easily suspend disbelief for a honey witch existing in a magical 19th-century world, yet I struggle to imagine an 1800s society where LGBT relationships were supported by families. Even today, people still face stigma and discrimination in many parts of the world, so that kind of effortless acceptance in a historical setting felt unrealistic to me.

What have you been reading lately? Any recommendations?