Sam Baldwin – founder of Slovenia-inspired apparel brand, BREG (www.BregDesign.com) runs to the hills in the Slovenian hinterlands of Koroška to wait out Coronavirus craziness and live the simple life.
Other parts in this series can be read here
What a difference five days makes. Life in Slovenia (and much of the world) just changed beyond all recognition. Desperate times call for desperate measures, but few would have believed we’d go from normality to almost total house arrest, in a western democracy, in five days or less.
The domino rally of stringent measures, normally only seen in authoritarian states, has – for now – obliterated life as we know it. All public transport ceased. All cafes and bars closed. All non-essential businesses closed. No public gatherings of more than five people. No leaving home except for food. No leaving the country. No leaving your municipality. Slovenia, like many other countries in Europe, is now closed for the foreseeable future.
I was fortunate to have ‘got out’ while I still could. I ran to the hills of Koroška where, in 2007, my brother and I bought a 300-year old ramshackle cottage up a mountain. We had grand dreams of restoring it. If had we known the problems we would encounter along the way, we might have thought twice.
It’s been a labour of love, but never have I been more relieved to wind up the logging road and arrive at Breg as I was last week. After numerous transportation problems (all public transport in Slovenia ceased to operate then my car almost broke down) I had made it just in time. BREGxit could begin.
I always had the thought that in some sort of end-of-days scenario, Breg would be a good place to wait out the apocalypse. Now I’m putting that theory to the test. Surrounded by beech and evergreen forest, but not much else, Breg is surely Slovenia’s Premiere Self-Isolation Destination. I have adequate supplies of food, a forest for a backyard, and enough moonshine schnapps to see me through Covid pandemics 19 to 23. (Schnapps is an especially valuable resource as it also doubles as hand-sanitiser).
The social isolation will likely become my main adversary. I had hoped to have company, but my Austrian girlfriend had to make a mad dash back across the border as Austria announced it was sealing itself off. It’s hard enough having a long-distance relationship between two countries when the borders are open but being unable to leave our homes adds a whole new challenge. However, if I’m going to be locked down anywhere, then Breg is where I want to serve my sentence.
Up here, it’s a simple life. There’s no WiFi but I have a long list of tasks; old houses require plenty of attention. Yesterday I repaired a stone wall and transplanted a plum tree. This morning I awoke to a fresh blanket of snow and wandered the frozen forest.
I’ve been thinking about the people who built this house almost three centuries ago. They had most of the materials they needed, surrounding them. Wood from the forest and plenty of stone. They just needed time. And now time is what I have in abundance. I plan to make good use of it to do things in a way its creators would approve of.
I am lucky to have two of the most amazing neighbours you could wish for, who keep an eye on me. They have a small-holding here and have taken to leaving a hot, homemade meal at my doorstep each day. I speak to them from my window each morning (I need to ensure I’m COVID-free before closer contact) as they go about their chores. It’s one of the few places in Slovenia where I can practice speaking Slovene without fear of the conversation switching to fluent English.
As life slows down, or rather, comes to an emergency stop, I start to wonder how Coronovirus will change our world, permanently. We are suddenly living through a giant experiment in the reduction of global consumption. After years of being told we should fly less, buy less, drive less and eat less by environmentalists, COVID-19’s sudden appearance is forcing us to do doing exactly that. It’s only been five days, but already I am more mindful about my habits. I’m more careful about food and other resources, ensuring I don’t let anything go to waste. I’m starting to realise what I really need and what I don’t miss at all.
There are tough times ahead; it’s hard to see how the economic landscape will recover any time soon. What will life look like after this is all over? Will we in future refer to the wonderous, decadent, and now long-gone era of ‘Before Virus’ (BV), where you could buy anything you wanted and fly anywhere in the world? There will be some lessons learned I’m sure.
I‘ve also noticed how coronavirus has brought people together. In the last 5 days, I’ve been added to three different new whatsapp groups of old friends or extended family. The virus is – for now – giving us a reason, (and for many, the time) – to reconnect with people.
So, like for everyone else in Slovenia and most of the world, I begin a new, unknown phase of life. For the foreseeable future, I’ll be living alone, wandering the forest, splitting wood, repairing, planning, fixing, digging, and writing the BREGxit diaries. I hope you’ll join me for the ride.
Other parts in this series can be read here
Sam Baldwin is the founder of BREG Apparel – Slovenia Inspired t-shirts. If you enjoyed this BREGxit entry – show your support by buying a BREG t-shirt. Sam also is the author of For Fukui’s Sake: Two years in rural Japan – available on kindle or paperback. If you'd like to share your lockdown story, or any other story, then please get in touch at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
