Geneva

On Tuesday we took the regional train from Lyon to Geneva that took about two hours with some awesome views of the mountains. We got to the station and had to get the bus to our accommodation which took about 15 minutes. The first thing to strike me here was how pricey public transport is - about 3.5 francs for an hour ticket each (about £2.45) and 10 francs for a day ticket (about £8).

Geneva is very clean and safe, and you get a serious impression of money - lots of designer labels, lots of suits. It may possibly be the only place you'll see a bloke in an Armani suit riding a kids scooter like it's the most normal thing in the world. I felt more scruffy than usual amongst this lot in my jeans, hoodie and knackered cat boots.

After our arrival we jumped back in the tram and rode it out the CERN. We didn't get a tour because you have to book them like 5 months in advance. We went round the 'Universe of Particles' exhibition and watched the awesome film about the Higgs Boson and LHC. The exhibition is mainly about the LHC but also includes info on dimensions, dark matter, etc. There was also the computer that the internet was invented on. Very cool. Turned out we missed the auditorium which had more stuff, but it was closed when we left at about 5ish. Still brilliant stuff.

On Wednesday we abused our InterRail passes and took a regional train up to Martigny, had a quick gander and came home. Took 3 hours and had some spectacular mountain scenery. We then nipped back into Geneva to have a look at the UN before heading home to pack. We now go to Florence.

I got a good vibe from Geneva - it's efficient and clean, and people seem genuinely friendly. The people at the train station seemed more than happy to help you. You hear a load of different languages here - I'm guessing because of it being the headquarters of the UN? Bloody pricey though.