Well, Hello There March

Hello from Lisbon!

I couldn't help but think back to a year ago. Everything was changing around me, and fast. A virus was shutting down borders and travel. I barely made it from Austria to Croatia before it all came to a screeching halt. Soon afterwards came my first lockdown - it lasted five weeks.

Fast forward a year later and I'm locked down again - but this time in Portugal. And if I have to be somewhere, I'm glad it's here. Our lockdown that started January 15th continues, but it was lifted just a bit mid-month. We can now get coffee and drinks to take away! Yay! Oh, the little things.

On the serious plus side, spring is here and the weather just keeps getting better and better. The city is still beautiful, and the lockdown will be lifted even more starting April 5th. It's supposed to fully lifted April 15th - which makes this a three month lockdown! Hopefully, we're now done with it since vaccinations are underway.

Henry the Navigator

You can't miss the Monument to the Discoveries in Belem - a district along the Tagus river here in Lisbon. The monument was built between 1958 and 1960 to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the death of Henry the Navigator. It was intended to romanticize the idealization of Portuguese exploration. You can see Henry out front leading the way, with 33 historical figures (other navigators) behind him.

Fame Reducer

It's been really fun connecting with a group of creative film people here in Lisbon (we call ourselves Filmmaking Lisboa) and especially comforting during lockdown. So a group of us gathered for a few days to film a short series called Fame Reducer. The storyline is that Faye has the psychic ability to reduce people's fame, and my character (Seb Keller) has the FBI after him and definitely needs his fame reduced!

We filmed two episodes, and I'm in Episode 2! To see just my scene, you can forward to the 5:00 mark. If you want to watch all of Episode 1, you can click here!

Cascais, Portugal (Devil's Mouth)

Cascais is a quick train ride out of Lisbon and has been one of my favorite places to spend a day. It's known for nice beaches and beautiful seaside cliffs. Devil's Mouth (also known as Boca do Inferno) is quite spectacular, especially when large waves come crashing in. However, it also can be quite dangerous and people have died there exploring areas where it's not safe. On the days I've visited, the waves were impressive, but quite tame.

Finally...

Due to Covid and limited travel, immigration has extended visa stays through the end of 2021! So, I'm heading to Porto, Portugal for a few months starting in early May. Porto is the second largest city in Portugal (after Lisbon.) It's a seaside town about four hours away by train - or an hour if I wanted to fly. But I love train rides, so I'll be saying "all aboard" in early May!

I've been to Porto before for a quick day visit, and I've been told it's very different from Lisbon. The weather is a bit cooler, and can rain a bit more. Even though I love it here in Lisbon and have made some friends, I really want to move on and explore a different part of the country. You're sure to see much more of Porto in future blogs!

Thanks for following along! Stay safe and healthy everyone!

ACTOR // CREATIVE // VOICE TALENT

TAPP

Bob Tapper

tapp@bobtapper

www.bobtapper.com

Outside US: +01 9494846275

Inside US: (949) 484-6275

Loving Lisbon in February

Hello from Lisbon!

Last we left off, I was in lockdown. Well, I still am. But...if I'm going to be locked down somewhere, I think Lisbon is a great place to be! At least the weather is comfortable and there tends to be quite a bit of sunlight to illuminate this little gem of a city!

I'm doing all I can to stay busy and creative - keeping up with social media, filming things, and trying to network. I really hope as of my next writing we'll be out of lockdown, but until then it's another opportunity to surrender things - and just roll with it best I can...

Porto

I took a day trip (3 1/2 hours each way by train) to Porto, Portugal - a city of known for the many bridges across the Douro River. Since we're in lockdown, nothing was open, but I feel that Porto will be an especially magical place when things open back up! It was a nice day to just stroll by the river and admire the magnificent bridge structures! I'll be spending more time here, and I'm really looking forward to exploring this part of Portugal!

Crazy, Modern Street Art

Wandering through the city of Lisbon (on their unique, cobblestone street tiles) you can't help but see some of the best street art! Fun, bright, colorful murals - and usually with a message of some sort. The city invited artists to specific locations where they were encouraged to paint to help beautify neighborhoods and courtyards, and also curb vandalism. Ah, the chill vibes of street art:)

A Phone Call with Myself

I wanted to express what I'm feeling about life and lockdown right now by having a phone call with myself. Here's how it went:

Finally...

I'll be here in Lisbon through early May, and not sure what happens after that. I may extend my stay here for another 90 days - and move to Porto (see above!) to experience another part of this wonderful country. I've met so many good people here, both locals and transplants. I'd really like that to continue. I think Lisbon will always be in my life somehow.

Given what vaccine regulations and travel restrictions may look like in early May, my plans could change and I am considering a return to Croatia. I know so many people who can't wait to travel freely again, so I'm hoping this will be possible by the end of the year. Something to look forward to!

Thanks for following along! Stay safe and healthy everyone!

ACTOR // CREATIVE // VOICE TALENT

TAPP

Bob Tapper

tapp@bobtapper

www.bobtapper.com

Outside US: +01 9494846275

Inside US: (949) 484-6275

Starting a new year!

Hello from Lisbon!

Well, we're off to a new year - and for me, a new lockdown. The Covid numbers in Portugal have risen, and one of the challenges for a smaller country, is a smaller (and overwhelmed) hospital system. So here we are, with everything closed except essential stores. The lockdown is supposed to last until March 1st, so my fingers are crossed that we'll turn things around. I must say, if I'm going to be locked down, there's no place I'd rather be than in the beautiful country of Portugal. In the meantime, I'm going to try and keep living my best life!

Ocean Vibes

As I've mentioned before, a couple things I love about being in Lisbon is the ocean and nice weather. This makes lockdown much more bearable, and fortunately we are allowed to go outside. This photo was actually taken in Cascais, about 40 minutes from Lisbon by train. I'll share more about this little seaside gem on the Portugese Riviera next month!

New Photos

I had a great time on a photoshoot by Jorge Albuquerque, who in addition to being a great photographer is also a well-known Portugese actor! We found several scenic spots in Lisbon (which is not hard to do) to take some photos. He's a very talented guy and we had so much fun - and I was really happy with the pictures he took!

Castle of the Moors

I did manage to do some exploring in January, and headed to Sintra, Portugal - a 45 minute train ride. Once there, you can hike up a pretty steep hill and see the Castle of the Moors! The hike up takes about an hour and the view at the top is well worth the climb!

Finally...

Even though we're locked down, the good news is that I am staying here in Lisbon until May! I met with the immigration and borders service and completed all the necessary paperwork to stay longer than my allowed 90 days.

Here's the way I look at it: I had an incredibly wonderful Christmas and New Years. Everything was open (except for the curfew during the afternoon and evenings on the weekends) - and I attended a few holiday dinner parties (Covid-safe) and spent New Years eve and day with some new friends. The streets were beautifully lit and it was a holiday season I'll never forget.

However, things have changed. Almost one year ago, I went through this same thing in Croatia. I found a way to adjust, and best of all, learned more about surrendering and being at peace with whatever is going on. I just have to roll with it and trust that everything is working out for my greater good. And I'll look back on this time at some point and it will make much more sense than it does right now. Isn't that the way life works?

Thanks for following along! Stay safe and healthy everyone!

ACTOR // CREATIVE // VOICE TALENT

TAPP

Bob Tapper

tapp@bobtapper

www.bobtapper.com

Outside US: +01 9494846275

Inside US: (949) 484-6275