The summer of 2019, I set out on a magical trip to Ireland and Scotland at a time when I desperately needed to reconnect with myself after losing my mother. I was in a dark place, so I invited my nephew Will to join me on what became our first “Aunt Anita” birthday adventure across the Atlantic.

In Dublin, I ordered him his very first Guinness. He was thrilled at how chocolatey it looked—until that first sip convinced him he was not a beer guy. We wandered into Sweny’s, the tiny pharmacy from James Joyce’s Ulysses, and read passages aloud, before ending the evening with live music at Donoghue’s pub.

Edinburgh brought bagpipes, whisky tastings, and the thrill of storming the castle. Ghosts whispered through Greyfriars Cemetery, and our guide David Campbell whisked us into the Highlands, quickly guessing I was an Outlander fan. He surprised us with stops at Linlithgow Palace and Doune Castle, both filming locations for the series. The scariest—but most memorable—stay was Corriegour Lodge, a haunted hunting lodge on Loch Lochy where “The Skye Boat Song” the haunting theme from Outlander, played on a loop at every meal.

From there we boarded a train to York, a medieval town of crooked cobblestones and leaning houses that felt like stepping straight into Harry Potter. Finally, we landed in London to see Will’s brother Max, take a canal boat ride, and celebrate my 62nd birthday with dear friends.

This journey gave me more than sights and stories—it gave me myself back. Traveling always makes me feel like my best self, and somewhere between Guinness in Dublin, ghost tales in Edinburgh, and laughter with my nephews in London, the heavy weight of grief lifted. Best of all, I shared a once-in-a-lifetime adventure with Will that we will both remember forever.