England born and raised, I have become a perennial fish out of water.
Austria is the seventh (and I hope, final) country to which I’ve moved my life. Deep South Austria is a blog covering Austrian characters, quirk and culture, and my ongoing quest to adapt to it, as I build a new life with my Austrian wife, in the province of Kärnten (Carinthia); Austria’s Deep South.
My village, situated at the mountainous intersection of Austria, Italy and Slovenia, is a place where the locals ride tractors, walk horses and drive goats. It’s a place where a man is judged by his log stack; a woman by her strudel.
Having lived in England, Scotland, Canada, Japan, Spain and Slovenia, I come armed with perspective. I explore the differences (and similarities) between Austria and elsewhere, share my struggles with learning German, and document the lows, highs and oddities of life in a small village in backwoods Austria.
So join me for a deep dive into rural Austrian living. Meet the foresters, farmers, hunters, housewives, bomb divers, cider makers and woodmillers. Come along as I roam the region, paddle the lakes, and sample the snow, schnapps and schnitzel.
Books & Articles
I am the author of two travel-memoir books (available in paperback, hardback and as ebooks, from Amazon).
I have also written hundreds of articles for magazines, newspapers and websites, including: The Guardian, The Times, and The Scotsman.
For Fukui’s Sake
Two years in rural Japan
‘A fascinating journey and call to action’ – Mark Hodson, writer, Sunday Times
‘Really evokes that excitement of ‘discovering’ Japan for the first time. I thoroughly enjoyed it’– Jan Dodd, Rough Guide To Japan
‘Witty and highly entertaining; a fascinating insight into the lives of ordinary Japanese people’ – Helen Arnold, 1001 Escapes
Dormice & Moonshine
Falling for Slovenia
‘Charming, funny, insightful, and moving. The perfect book for any Slovenophile’ – Noah Charney, BBC presenter
‘A rollicking and very affectionate tour’ – Steve Fallon, author of Lonely Planet Slovenia
‘Delivers discovery and adventure…captivating!’ – Bartosz Stefaniak, editor, 3 Seas Europe
A note on distraction
Almost every news and blog site I read these days has become horribly cluttered. From the biggest media outlets to niche publications, the content is peppered with pop-ups, auto-play video ads, banners, and boxes screaming for your subscription.
For my Deep South Austria blog, I wanted a clean, peaceful, reader experience, free of distractions. So there are no ads. No pop-ups. No banners.
This costs me something to provide but I think it’s worth it. If you enjoy my writing and would like to support it, there are three easy ways:
- Buy and read one of my books (see above)
- Rate and review my books on Amazon or Goodreads
- Check out my Slovenian-inspired T-shirts at: BregDesign.com
Danke und tschüss.
Deep South Austria 