Some people say our moods change according to the weather, and it was a lovely, warm and bright morning in Genève, my favorite city in Switzerland. As my schedule only allowed me one day in this adorable city, I made a beeline for the tourist center once I got off the train, and asked for the directions to two landmarks that I intended to visit: the Jet d’Eau and the United Nations.

I was lucky to see this amazing fountain; there’re chances that Jet d’Eau would be closed in case of strong winds. Standing tall at 140 meters, the powerful jet looked like a sea deity’s sword rising up to the heaven. For a minute or two, the silvery blade was even graced by a beautiful rainbow, which was gone in the blink of an eye when I was still finding the best angle for an instagram photo. Like all good things in life, they slip through your fingers before you can truly appreciate it.

The amiable, soft sunlight turned into a mean, furious creature at midday when I was lining up outside the United Nations Office at Genève, the second largest of the four major office sites of the organization. I had always longed to visit this place, where international peace, human rights and the environment are promoted and protected. Have you noticed that the North Pole comes at the center of the earth on the UN’s emblem? Do you know why? It is presented this way so no country looks more significant and important than the others; everyone is equal on the planet.

It was a long, tiring two-hour wait. Almost every visitor had to stand in front of the reception counter for over 20 minutes. I couldn’t help wonder if the security of the UN was so strict that they has do check every little background detail of each tourist. It turned out that I was wrong; the reason for the long queue was simple: one of their printers was broken and they needed extra time to make visitor badges…

The base tone of the building is beige, a humble and creamy hue that makes people at ease. Led by an experienced tour guide, we took a glimpse at the valuables given to UN by different countries and the many conference rooms which held paramount meetings that concern life and death, international relationships and so on. My favorite is the Human Rights and Alliance of Civilizations Room (former Room XX), which features a ceiling sculpture by prominent contemporary Spanish artist Miquel Barceló. Although we weren’t allowed to take pictures as a meeting was proceeding, it’s a rare opportunity to see how a conference in UN operates – the best reward for my day confronting with the sizzling sun.