Sourcing Far and Wide

I groaned when my wife suggested we walk up a steep hill to go see a Benedictine Abbey in Melk, Austria. I mean monks are austere - what could be of real interest there? I am glad she persisted. We saw the most stunning library I have ever set my eyes on and the baroque church would impress even the most hardened tourist who has had his/her share of ABC (another bloody church!).

Readers of this blog know I constantly caution against vendor consolidation strategies. My other New Florence blog is always telling readers to look for innovation from left field - scour the world for it.

Time after time this week, my wife took us away from the big cities of Munich, Zurich and Vienna we could spend our vacation in (or even just one of those 3), and picked a bunch of places to visit I would never have and I am so glad she did:

• The amazing medieval arcades and statues in the Old City of Berne
• The lovely farmer's market across the Chapel Bridge and hundreds of swans and ducks on the edge of Lake Luzern
• The Landtag - the striking new Parliament building in Vaduz in tiny Liechtenstein
• The town center - the Hauptplatz in Linz - one of the largest in Europe where Adolf Hitler walked as a young boy
• The highest little town in beautiful Bavaria, Fussen

Yes, it took more effort for the car and our feet to get to these places, but just reinforced my view about looking far and wide even in technology to find delightful solutions and not just depend on safe, well-known brands.

Comments

[Adrian Ionel]

Totally agree. New treasures are off the beaten path. Thanks for sharing.