So, here I am in Geneva for LIFT07. A remarkably uncomplicated journey out: not an alarm clock snoozed one time too many, not a train missed, not a departure dashed for across Gatwick, and I slept like a log on the plane over.

I've only been to Geneva once before, passing through on my way to an Aikido course in Cully with Tom and Carl, but I like what I've seen: it's so clean. That said, I seem to have booked myself into a reasonable yet basic hotel slap bang in the middle of the red light district. For some reason I hadn't considered the possibility that Geneva might have such a thing, but a quick walk round the block took me past 4 or 5 sex shops and a number of dodgy looking bars and clubs.

Also a surprise today was the air raid sirens: on my journey across town to get to the afternoon work shop, they seemed to be going off every few minutes. It's obviously normal round here - the locals were completely nonplussed - but it kept me pleasingly on edge...