Anouck Grau

Hi, I'm Anouck!

As a fan of outdoor sports and cooking, I’ve spent several years tracking down the best snow there is. Gradually, full-time freestyle snowboarding gave way to my other passions. For me nothing fits into one box, I combine cooking, arts, nutrition and sport, whether it is through my hobbies or my work.

What does Geneva represent for you?

Geneva is close to my heart. When I was small I used to spend my summer holidays there and my memories are in Geneva. The first opening hours of the Fontenette swimming pool in Carouge, the Movenpick ice-creams by the lake, the famous Greek salad and the 10-metre diving board at the Bains des Pâquis or the Fêtes de Genève… These are my Proust’s madeleine.

Your favourite activities in Geneva?

In winter I never miss a weekly session in the sauna and hammam at Bains des Pâquis.

Otherwise, the flea market in Plainpalais, the Nuit des Bains for an evening of exhibition openings, a stroll in the Parc des Eaux-Vives, the botanical garden and enjoying the lake. I love Geneva for its restaurants too.

Any secret places to enjoy Geneva?

On the cuisine side:

• Eating at the Grütli café
• Enjoying local vegan cuisine at MU-FOOD
• The sparkling brunches of @givesafork
• Discovering home-made cooking by passionate Geneva residents thanks to the Neia.app app (www.neia.app)
• Tasting pop-up dinners by chef Mater (@mater.fondazione) who experiments with nouvelle cuisine and fermentation.

On the sports side:

• Running to the top of the Salève
• Getting lost on a road bike in the Geneva countryside or climbing to the top of La Barillette.
• Swimming in the pool at Les Vernets, one of the few 50-metre indoor pools in Switzerland.

If you had to describe Geneva in one sentence…

A city where you feel good in winter as well as in summer, lake and mountains, there is plenty to do!

Friends are visiting, where do you take them?

I would start the day with the flea market in Plainpalais, then visit the Caritas de la Fouine in Grand Lancy, where you can find second-hand gems. We would have Thali for lunch at Café Gandhi, walk by the lake and, come summer or winter, swim (especially in winter, the cold water does a lot of good)! Then, we would attend an opera at the Grand Theatre and we would finish with a bang with the legendary fondue at the Bains des Pâquis.