Six and a half hours on the train from Germany and then arrival. From the train station, over the road and the tramlines, to Les Brasseurs pub for a quick beer and then a reunion with my friend Ange, who by happy coincidence lives in Geneva. My first experience of the city besides the pub was a lakeside walk spent fighting the arctic winds. It was cold but the snow topped mountains beyond the lake made the chill bearable. On first impressions, Geneva seemed like a pretty cool place.

Hunger struck and only fondue would do - we were in Switzerland after all. To be honest, I was expecting more than just bread and a pot of melted cheese, which seems to me to be a bizarre idea for a meal, but it was surprisingly satisfying. The £6 per drink bar seemed rather overpriced (but the Ferrari parked outside was exciting) but we soon found a more lively and cheaper establishment. The next day was spent doing the Lonely Planet walking tour around la vieille ville: Cute streets. A cathedral that wants to be a Greek temple but with a high tower and gorge views. Coffee. Chicken salad cravings and, low and behold, a restaurant with just 5 meals on offer, 2 of which were chicken salads. Some nice vin blanc to wash it down and then mousse au chocolat and espresso for an energy boost.

Well nourished, we headed to the car for a road trip to Evian, pretty much for the sole reason that it is the home of famous water. A rather slow but super picturesque drive along Lake Geneva and then some peaceful lake time in Evian (there was actually nothing to do but look at the lake) before heading back to the car. Westlife, Take That and ABBA had done a cracking job on the first leg and it was now the turn of Steps and Madonna to take us from Evian, around the lake, past Montrieux and back into Switzerland to Lausanne. The drive was beautiful, the singing was not. Lausanne gave us the best steak I think I've ever had with a very nice red wine to go with it. Then it was the Romeo and Juliet soundtrack and a drive back to Geneva, completing the circle around the lake. Pickwick's, a two-floored English style pub full of students from all corners of the globe and British beer, provided the evening’s entertainment.

Day 3 was mountain day. A mini road trip to France and Chamonix, otherwise known as an über posh ski resort. Up two cable cars to reach the summit of Mont Blanc, some 3800m high. Lots of photos and admiration, but despite my ski jacket, gloves, scarf and many layers, I have never felt so cold. It felt very much like we were on top of the world, and well, I guess we were pretty close.

Day 4 was UN day: Trams, wanderings, more steak and Euro Millions tickets in an attempt to win back some of the money spent in the somewhat overpriced city, and then to the UN for a walking tour. A pretty cool building and an interesting tour including facts like Switzerland only joined the UN in 2002. After the UN had shown us its stuff and we had seen diplomats from all over the world roaming the corridors, I said farewell to wintry Geneva.