Autumn in Geneva: all tastes and all colors

Saturday morning, head to Palexpo and the Automnales which take place from November 8 to 17. Bus 5 is long-awaited, yet public transport is the best way to get there. In the city center, it is already quite full and fills up on the way. At the entrance, no waiting, the system is well established, despite the weekend crowds. At the top of the escalators, the visitor has the choice: observe the map of the premises displayed in front of them or scan a QR code which will guide them through the aisles.

On the left, the stands, where local products, kitchen utensils and crafts mix. At the back, the street food corner and its food trucks: queues are already starting to form at lunchtime.

Amateur competition

Walking along the alley, we come across the Cook’n Show corner, where five fondue-loving cooks are competing this lunchtime. They came to defend their recipe in the hope of participating in the Mondial de la fondue in Tartegnin. A jury of seven professionals will decide between them, Christian Duc director of Vacherin Fribourgeois has just tasted one, which contained grappa. “I don’t like it when the product is distorted; for me, a good fondue is made from Gruyère, Vacherin and white wine. I don’t like additions, like mustard or other ingredients.”

Amateur cook Lê-Binh Hoang, who concocted it, lives in Bellevue. He says he is very proud of his formula, composed of three different Gruyeres and three Vacherins, from five cheese factories in the cantons of Vaud and Fribourg, which he combines with wine and a drop of grappa. He gets his taste for cheese from his mother who studied in Fribourg. “There was always a piece of Gruyère in the fridge!” jokes the Genevan. The fondue lover wants to make it to the final and intends to win first prize at the Mondial de la fondue in November 2025, where he has already competed three times.

Sports of all kinds

In the center of the hall, the Art of Movement Salon which presents all kinds of sports on a demonstration track, and all around, Geneva clubs come to promote them. Jade and Mahé, cheerleaders, are part of the “Geneva lights”. This sport comes from across the Atlantic and mixes lifts and acrobatic gymnastics. On November 17, the young people from the Geneva club will give a demonstration at the Automnales.

The two teenagers dressed in the colors of “Geneva lights” hope to raise funds to go to the Cheerleading World Championships next May in the United States. Eighteen athletes and their companions want to go there and they are looking for 50,000 francs.

We continue the visit, after the furniture and other massage chairs, we go down the stairs which lead to the large hall 7, where the Re&up-cycling expo, the recycling and second-hand fair, the bicycle fair and of mobility with its test track and basically that of the boat and the automobile. On this weekend day, the children’s corner with its traditional inflatable castles is obviously a great success.

“Latest news”

Want to stay on top of the news? “Tribune de Genève” offers you two meetings per day, directly in your email box. So you don’t miss anything that’s happening in your canton, in Switzerland or around the world.

Other newsletters

Log in

Judith Monfrini is a journalist for the local section. With a legal background, she obtained her diploma from the Journalism and Media Training Center (CFJM) in 2015. She worked for more than ten years for the Médiaone group. (Radio Lac, One fm)More info

Did you find an error? Please report it to us.

0 comments