On the move in May

Hello from London!

I can't believe it, but I actually made it to London! But first, let me start by letting you know that May turned out to be a great month in Croatia! As I mentioned in my last newsletter, non-essential stores opened up the last week of April. In May, hair salons opened, which was followed by restaurants and bars. By mid-May, they opened travel throughout the country, so I was able to get to see Split - a beautiful seaside community on the Adriatic Sea! I was also able to see Plitvice Lakes, a national park known for its gorgeous waterfalls and lakes. Both visits were such a pleasant surprise, given that I didn't even think I'd be able to leave Zagreb due to the lockdown.

But when I do think back to my time in Zagreb, the one place that will always be in my heart is...

King Tomislav Square

This is city park that I visited pretty much every day during my stay. After I grabbed coffee, I had a walking path that took me right past the park. I'd find a bench, sit down and sip my coffee as I contemplated life and gazed into the super blue skies of Croatia. The park is next to Glavni Kolodvor, the train station that was built in the late 1800's to connect Zagreb to Budapest and Vienna. On the other side of the park is the Art Pavillion of Zagreb. The fountain in the center of the square provided peace and traquility - something very much needed during that crazy time. When I look back to where I was at during COVID-19, I'll always think of King Tomislav Square.

Visiting Split

Split is a beautiful seaside town on the Adriatic Sea in Croatia - about a 50 minute flight from Zagreb. It was pure joy that I was able to spend four magical days there! Split is usually filled with tourists this time of the year, but not now. It was pretty much me and the locals. They provided just enough "buzz" to make the atmosphere enjoyable and fun. This video looks at some of the sites I experienced, including Diocletian's Palace and Marjan Forest Park!

Day Trip to Plitvice Lakes

Plitvice Lakes is a national park about 2 hours away from Zagreb by car. It is one of the oldest and largest national parks in Croatia. This area is rich in history, and many battles took place here. It's hard to believe that an area where there has been so much war (the Croatian War of Independence with the Serbs), can now be so beautiful. I had my own personal tour guide for the day, so it was educational as well! I'll share a video next month, but this picture pretty much sums up the day.

An Unexpect Surprise During My Last days in Zagreb

I decided to spend my last few nights in Zagreb at a hotel. My Plitvice Lakes tour guide recommended The Esplanade Zagreb - a beautifully designed Art Deco hotel full of glamour, style, and tradition. It was built as an accommodation for the Orient Express train, which traveled between Paris and Istanbul. Many famous presidents, politicians, film stars, and musicians have stayed (and partied!) there.

I returned to my room one night and found a note on my bed. The hotel asked me if I wanted to be interviewed by Goran Milic, a Croatian journalist with Al Jezeera, who was recording a documentary for Croatian Radio Television. The documentary is about the history of the hotel (now celebrating its 95th anniversary), but also wanted to talk to out of town guests traveling in Croatia during COVID-19. Not being shy in front of the camera, I of course said "yes!" He was a facinating man to talk to, full of history, and the experience was so much fun! I hope to get a clip of the show once it airs. What a way to end my stay in Croatia!

Finally...

After much concern over whether I'd be able to get to London due to border restrictions, it ended up to be no problem at all. My flight left Zagreb around 9am on Wednesday, June 3rd going first through Frankfurt. After a short layover, it was onward to London Heathrow. Heathrow was very empty, and there were no issues getting through border control. I checked into my Airbnb by 4:30pm. It was an easy day.

I'm very happy to be here in London, but they are still in somewhat of a lockdown mode. It's been interesting to see how differently COVID-19 has been handled here compared to Croatia. In Croatia, I lived through a complete lockdown, only to see it fully re-open. Hopefully, more things will open here as the weeks and months go on.

I'll be in London through the end of September. I haven't really planned October and November yet, but I plan to explore more of the UK. It's way to early to be thinking about that - I'm just glad to be embracing my new chapter here in London. I remain forever thankful and grateful for the way the past five months turned out! 🙏

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

Springtime in Zagreb

Hello from Croatia!

Well, I had planned on telling you all about my trip to Split, followed by my trip to Dubrovnic. There would be beautiful videos of the beaches and the Adriatic Sea. I would also be showing you pictures of the new gym I joined, the new co-working space I'm working from, the interesting people I've met, and of course the wonderful food I've tasted here in Zagreb.. But we all know that didn't happen:)

Let's just say I got to know my neighborhood in Zagreb very well during the month of April! Actually, the month turned out just fine. The weather has been amazing, so being able to be outside has been a life saver. Dubrovnic, Split, and the islands off the Adriatic Sea will have to wait until another visit. But here's what I did experience:

Park Maksimir

Park Maksimir is the largest city park in Zagreb. It is over 200 years old and is about 316 acres. It's full of sunny meadows, gorgeous trees, hiking trails, and five lakes! I've spent many, many afternoons here, and it was a pretty easy walk. I'll take a blanket and do one of my hour long yoga workouts here. Take a walk through the park with me!

Sava River Walk

The Sava River isn't withing walking distance of my apartment, but I could take a short Uber ride to get there. It was a welcome change of scenery, and so beautiful!

St. Stevens Church Spire

The March 22, 2020 earthquake knocked the top spire (left) off of the Zagreb Cathedral. They wrapped the one on the right and used explosives to remove it until they are able to repair the damaged one. It was fun to see the small group gather each day to watch the progress! By mid-April, they were leveled out.

Changes in Zagreb

It was such a wonderful feeling to see things start to open last week. On April 27th, they opened all retail stores. Some buses and trams started to roll again as well, but it was actually the earthquake damage not yet cleared in the streets that prevented all transportation from opening. And...May 4th I can get a haircut! Then on May 11th, the restaurants will open, with sidewalk seating only - and social distancing in place. But it sure has been a welcome change from the darker days of late March and early April when the city was completly shut down!

Finally...

I've adjusted to things better than I thought. So many people lost the structure they had in their lives very quickly. So many people are hurting. I think the reason I've adjusted so well is that I never had any structure to begin with. I had planned on creating some structure like I did in Vienna, so my new structure had to be built around how the coronavirus affected Zagreb.

My new structure involves twice daily walks at 10am and 2pm, and daily online workouts. I also found many shows to binge watch on Netflix, and caught up on movies I had wanted to see. The best part of all was seeing the progress Croatia made in dealing with the Covid-19, and seeing things start to open!

So now comes the month of May, where a decision will have to be made. Can I - and how do I - get to London??

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

March madness

Hello from Croatia!

It's not been easy for me to write this blog. And it isn't because I haven't had time. I was hoping each blog would be fun, informative, and entertaining - but to write truthfully now means that it won't always be that way.

This life change that began for me in January was always supposed to be a long journey - not measured in weeks or months, but years. I have to keep in mind that it's only just beginning.

Given all that's going on, March could be the beginning of Chapter Two. Chapter One was the opening chapter - full of new, exciting adventures. But Chapter Two has to take on a different tone - and like any good book, there are many more chapters to come.

So let's review the story so far shall we?

Chocoa Festival

It seems like a lifetime ago, but my weekend in Amsterdam in February was amazing. The city is super fun, and the Chocoa Festival was informative, chocolately, and yummy. When I wrote about this last month, I hadn't finished my video of the weekend yet, so here it is:

Budapest

I loved taking short train trips while in Vienna. The train station is really efficient, and you can catch a train to most anywhere in Europe. To me, train travel is beautifully slow and peaceful.

The one thing I really wanted to do in Budapest was to visit the Szechenyi Bath, the biggest thermal bath in Budapest. Since it was only a weekend trip, I only had one full day there. And fortunately, that day was sunny and nice.

Goodbye Vienna, for now...

I had hit a wonderful stride in Vienna. I will miss these people from Body Concept Vienna. Their studio and classes were spiritual, motivating, and uplifting. I can now take part online because of the virus, but it's not quite the same. Hugs to Sizanna, Verena, Moana, and Anya...until next time!

The Trek to Zagreb

So I was supposed to have a leisurely, three day train trip from Vienna to Zagreb starting Sunday, March 15th. But the week prior, things were changing daily in terms of COVID-19. Travel restrictions were becoming more and more common. I felt like I needed to check out other travel arrangements and get to Zagreb sooner, so I booked a Friday morning airline flight.

After booking the flight, I was now forced to scramble to pack and clean my Airbnb - and say goodbye to Vienna a few days earlier than planned. It was emotional to say the least.

I got to the airport plenty early on Friday. I had a reservation, but not a ticket. This was a bit unsettling, and even more so when I found out my 10:00 a.m. flight was cancelled. The good news is that they booked me on a different flight a few hours later, and I ended up in Zagreb by 5:00 p.m. that day with no hassles at all. In fact, I wasn't even self-quarantined like most everyone on the plane was because I was from the U.S. - and at that point the U.S. was not on the list of countries that required a quarantine.

The first few days in Zagreb were great. Lots of activity and good vibes. The restaurants were quite full, and sidewalks were filled with tables, tents, and happy people. Then as each day passed, more and more restrictions took place. The restaurants closed. The buses and trams stopped. And then the earthquake shook us...the most powerful one to hit Zagred in 140 years!

LEFT: March 15, 2020 RIGHT: March 22, 2020

Finally...

Life at this point is nothing like I expected. It's mind blowing to me to think of how wonderfully different my life was a month ago in Vienna compared to today in Zagreb. COVID-19 virus has now impacted me - and I survived the most horrific earthquake in my entire life here in Zagreb. The aftershocks continue even as I've written this.

But life right now is not what anyone expected. One thing I know is that everyone's life has been uprooted and affected, so I know I'm not alone.

COVID-19 and earthquakes are hard enough to deal with, but what's been especially tough for me is forging new friendships and connections with people here in Croatia. In Vienna (and prior to the virus lockdowns) I could meet new people and have meaningful interactions through the gym and yoga studio, my co-working space, and Meetups like my improv class.

Right now, I have none of that. Thankfully we have the internet and technology to help us stay connected, and that certainly is comforting. Isolation and lockdowns suck.

But, I am going to continue. I meditate every morning, go outside and walk twice a day (10,000+ steps!), take online exercise classes, eat well, and wash my hands often.

Years down the road when we ask others "where were you during COVID-19?", I'll have my story. Not knowing how long I'll be here and what lies ahead in the upcoming weeks and months is hard, but I'm learning a lot about what it means to surrender.

I am very blessed to be on this journey in my life, and many others have not been so fortunate. They have lost friends or family, or their jobs to COVID-19. That is truly sad and they need our prayers. I have to keep in mind that planes, trains, and buses will run again. Hotels will re-open. And travel will continue. In the meantime, I remain grateful. Croatia's approach to the virus makes me feel safe. Everyone seems calm and rational. We will come out of this.

I'm supposed to be going the London on June 1st. I'm just taking it one day at a time.

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