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While the rest of my university classmates availed of the J1 and took to the States for the summer, I decided to sit it out and work my ass off at home for the summer. I’d had enough of student poverty for the past year and was determined to save some dosh for the next one. But, after three months slave labour in a local bar and restaurant I decided to treat myself to a week in Switzerland. I had been on student exchange there about five years previously and was still in touch with Anna, the girl whose mother’s nerves we had destroyed during my two-week stay there. Nothing like a couple of 15 year olds to destroy a person’s will to live!

Anna was from just outside the western Geneva so this is where my trip began. Home to the European branch of the United Nations, the third largest city in Switzerland emits truly international vibes. As well as the UN buildings, you have to check out the view from the tower in Cathedral St. Pierre, stroll through the old part of town which was once a medieval fortress and whatever else you do, don’t miss the Jet d’Eau, an enormous fountain which shoots seven tonnes of water about 140 metres high at a speed of 200 kilometres per hour – now you see why shouldn’t leave Geneva without paying this particular attraction a visit. And as well as the attractions, our 15-year old streak crept back and saw us staggering home at 6.00am on our first night but hey, we were on holiday.

After sampling the delights of Geneva we made our way to Interlaken. Now, if I had the foresight to hold my trip off until winter, we would have been hitting the slopes sampling the excellent skiing conditions in the amazing ski resort at Interlaken. Despite the lack of snow, however, Interlaken is one of the country’s most popular locations all year round, both for its scenery and the multitude of sports and activities that visitors can enjoy while they are there. Best known for its skiing and hiking facilities, there are a number of other reasons to spend time there including the wonderful Jungfraujoch Railway, but hold on to your seats – if you’re afraid of heights you might want to bring a paper bag or two along. Listen to the voice of experience!

From Interlaken we made a one night stop in Zurich. At least four daily services connect the two cities taking about two hours thirty minutes to complete the journey and a second class ticket will cost you about €33. There’s not a whole lot to do there but to be quite honest, we weren’t up to much anyway. We pretty much used up most of our energy reserves in Interlaken so a nice meal and a few quite drinks was all we were after and Zurich certainly came up trumps in this respect.

The final part of our journey took us to the Swiss capital, Bern. Home to the country’s government buildings, the parliament only sits four times per year so the city is not as politically orientated as many of its European counterparts. Instead it is a pretty and romantic city which houses the famous Zytglogge – a clock tower where little figurines appear at four minutes to the hour, much to the delight of the hordes of people who gather round throughout the day. Here you also find numerous museums and the amazing Munster Cathedral. And there you have it – Switzerland in seven days and time to bid adieu to Anna but not before giving her a big box of chocolates for her Mum to make up for the two weeks of sleepless nights I had given her five years previously!