Six degrees swimming and where to get rid of rubbish and those Christmas trees

The lake's temperature was a mere six degrees on Sunday but it didn't stop quite a few brave souls going for a swim as part of the official inaugaration of the sauna (see post from 2nd January). There were those that swam in regular swimming costumes and those who dressed up to go in the water. The "dutchtub" by the lake provided a welcome warm up!

The new sauna next to the lake (the building with the chimney and porthole looking onto the water). Raclette and mulled wine on offer to the onlookers

Below: the balcony where the weekend buvette is situated

Getting rid of the Christmas tree and other rubbish/garbage

For those that live in Nyon, the official decheterie is in Chemin de Borgogne 12 (here's a link to a map with the address) Opening times Monday to Saturday 08:30 - 11:45  and 13:30  - 17:30  Closed on Sunday and holidays.

For rubbish that can left outside your home/apartment including Christmas trees, there are certain days  allocated each month for rubbish collection, depending on the kind of rubbish and which area of Nyon you live in. Each area is divided into a zone. You should have received a leaflet from the council on this, if you do not have it then you can download it from the Nyon website or here   A new leaflet for 2010 should be published soon, keep an eye out for it in your letter box.

If you live outside Nyon then many villages either have their own decheterie or there is one that links up with another village nearby.

If you are new to this site checkout the post from the 1st January "Defining a decade in Nyon"

Sauna officially opens tomorrow in Nyon!

On Sunday the 3rd January from 11:00 a.m there will be the official opening of the sauna (down by La Plage) this is organised by the association of "les bains de trois jetees".

There was an event at the same place last year to get the project going. The swimmers braved the cold water of the lake, there was mulled wine available and a great atmosphere too!

Read and see all the photos from last year here

Also, check out their site for opening times of the buvette the weekend bar/café with a view of the lake.

Happy New Year and Defining a decade in Nyon

Happy New Year!

Photo above: Caravan Palace performing at Paléo in 2009

A shorter version of this article below appeared in La Côte newspaper (18 December). Each Friday there is a column in English snuck on the inside front page under "Forum" (next to the readers' letters). The next column will be on January 15th.  Check it out!

Defining a decade in Nyon

The year has come to an end and newspapers across the world have reflected on the year that’s been: the highs, the lows and the big stories of 2009 and they have reviewed the past decade. Is it really ten years ago that we were all preparing to welcome in the new millennium?

Back on 31st December 1999 during the day on the television, we saw the sun rise on the celebrations beginning over in the Southern hemisphere. Later on, fireworks exploded with abandon over many cities, from Sydney to Stockholm. It was a joyous occasion. It was also when we had that slight nagging doubt as to whether our computers would work when we switched them on the following day. Remember the “Millennium Computer bug” threat? What happened to that? I think it just crawled away, having fooled the lot of us.

I have no idea of what it was like to celebrate the arrival of 2000 in Nyon because I hadn’t yet moved here. On December 1999 I was busy celebrating Hogmanay ( New Year’s Eve in Scotland). Over there it’s a BIG event. There are traditions involved, along with Scottish country dancing, singing the song “Auld Lang Syne” (which most people know only the first few lines of). I’d never heard of the night of "Saint Sylvestre" and I didn’t know much about Switzerland, let alone Nyon. However I relocated here the following summer so I too have been reflecting on Nyon’s past nine years.

Football Fever in Nyon

The first thing I realised is that Nyon is a great place it is when there is a major football tournament on, whether its the World Cup or the Euro, with Nyon's international profile there's lots of fun in the town when the fans come out in force. So far its all been good spirited with healthy competition between team supporters, young and old and a great atmosphere in Nyon's streets.

Below: Scenes around Nyon from Euro 2008

Nyon's Music, Film and Arts Festivals

Over the past nine years I've seen how the two fabulous music festivals Paléo and Caribana have continued to delight music fans who come from all over Switzerland to hear great music and the Visions du Réel documentary film festival and FAR the arts festival has become bigger and better each year. Note:you will see that reviews of all these three festivals are now available to read under their own section (see sidebar).

The other small events such as the regular Sunday concerts by the Roman Columns, the Rive Jazzy music keep locals entertained in summer weekends and the Conservatoire has continued to produce some wonderful concerts.

There have been some changes around Nyon,the train that goes up to St Cergue used to wind through the centre of the town has now gone undergrpund, the chateau has now reopened, there is a new mayor and a fancy new underground parking by the lake.

Thankfully some things have remained the same as they have for many years : the stunning view from the castle terrace over the rooftops of Nyon to the Alps and lake below, the Saturday market in the same cobbled square in the exact same place where the Romans also used to shop, the beautiful Jura behind us, the glorious vineyards nearby. Let’s hope Nyon remains like this for many more millennia. It’s a great place to be.

Photos below: In and around Nyon

Selling flowers and plants in Place du Marché

Nyon on a summer's day

Vineyards near Nyon

 

Above and below :Caribana Music festival by the lake

Below:The elegant veranda of the conservatoire: Nyon's centre of classical music

Nyon's chateau

Dancing by the Roman columns

Happy New Year to you all and Meilleurs Voeux pour 2010!  I

Can you offer any temporary work/ odd jobs to Nyon's asylum seekers?

I have received this request Nyon resident, Corinne Desarzens, if you think you can help her, please reply to the following email c.desarzens@bluewin.ch  

"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Corinne Desarzens and I live in Nyon. Born in France in the fifties (apart from three years in New York as a correspondent for Tribune de Genève) I have lived all my life here. My husband (who used to be a farmer) now takes care of asylum seekers in Geneva. We have three children, twins of 20 and a boy of 19, all studying in Lausanne.

In mid February 2009, a hundred asylum seekers arrived in Nyon, and are now housed underground in a bunker near the Migros homestore. All "Dublin cases", via an European transit country (Italy, Malta, Spain, France, Greece), all men between the ages of 18 to 35. Most of them come from English-speaking African countries, including Ghana, Eritrea and Somalia, from Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and Sri-Lanka. Many have been sent back to the transit country, may others have recently arrived. A few are stiil here since the start..

Every Thursday I teach French lessons to about ten of them. Those who managed to make it here survived extreme conditions and went through impressive experiences. They are brilliant, each in his own personal way, and may be fully trusted.

Asylum seekers are allowed to work after a three month period. Being an asylum seeker, waiting to hear  one’s fate, has much to do with time passing. How to use one’s time. For a few of them I have been looking for small jobs, in some cases very successfully : in a garage, a garden-centre, in a bio-medical enterprise, picking fruit and later grape picking, mowing grass and cleaning houses.I am looking to widen any possibilitiy for them, even for a short time : do not hesitate to contact me for any activity related to daily life, including hiring extra/s when throwing a party, helping the elderly, gardening, cleaning windows, walking dogs. Hourly wages welcome".

If you think you can help by offering any kind of tempoary work then email c.desarzens@bluewin.ch and please not to Living in Nyon

Last minute shopping/entertainment and a date for your diary

The shops are now becoming very busy with last minute shoppers and the queues are long, however yesterday a theatre group entertained children in La Combe shopping centre yesterday which gave parents a bit of a breather.

Church over Christmas

If you want to go to an English speaking church service over Christmas in the area then check out the websites of La Côte church in Gingins and Westlake church in Nyon and Lausanne. There is also an English speaking traditional carol service at the cathedral in Geneva's old town at 17:00 on Christmas Eve, but it's imperative you get there early for a seat as this is a vary popular service with many expats!

Shops closed on the 2nd Jan

Don't forget that the 2nd of January is a holiday here and the shops will be closed. Many restaurants offer special menus for New Year's Eve and these are published in La Côte newspaper.

Cinema

The cinema in Nyon does not appear to have any films on in English up until the 29th December but there are a few in Geneva, Lausanne and the shopping complex Balexert (look for the letters v.o) by the name of the film. Listings of films are in most newspapers.

Launch of sauna in Nyon by the lake 

On the 3rd January from 11:00 a.m there will be the official opening of the sauna (down by La Plage) this is organised by the association of "les bains de trois jetees". There was an event at the same place last year and it was great fun! Check out their site for opening times of the buvette etc

Date for your diary

Finally, a reminder that on the 28th January at 19:30 there will be a talk in English in Nyon by journalist Jordan Davis from World Radio Switzerland called "Swiss Politics for Dummies" in collaboration with this site Living in Nyon. There will also be an opportunity to hear from and chat to your local councillors in English too.  Reservation for this event are now being taken (send an email to cnp at bluewin.ch and mark the subject line "reservation for politics talk")  Seating is limited and it is anticipated that this will be a popular event.  

Wherever you are in the Nyon area or even further afield, (the site has readers from other countries too!)  A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS and JOYEUX NOEL!

A love of the lake inspires local author and artists

For those of us who are lucky enough to live in this area we know how beautiful Lac Léman can be. Throughout the seasons it remains a source of inspiration to writers, photographers and artists.Not only is Lac Léman the deepest lake in Switzerland but Nyon even has a museum dedicated to it. For walkers there are many paths along its shores or above it to enjoy its beauty. 

Erik Chrispeels is a local author who loves Lac Léman with a passion and has written and compiled various books about it, one of them a book for walkers and another a collection of paintings by local artists.

His book "Regards sur le Léman -75 promenades pour toute la famille" (Views over the lake - 75 walks for all  the family) is a handy pocket sized book which features circular walks of various lengths and difficulties, but all with one thing in common: a view of the lake.

Erik originally from Belgium, has been living in  Switzerland for 40 years, he worked for the UN as a legal counsel and now lives in Prangins. Living in Nyon met Erik down by the lake (where else?) to talk about his various publications and to ask him what inspired him to write and compile them.

"When I first starting walking in this area I followed other hiking books but I often became disappointed as not all of them had a view of the lake. Where it did, there were often electricity pylons spoiling the view, the walk wasn't interesting or it led you to an area at a ski station which out of season, looked a bit forlorn.

I also wanted a circular walk that did not involve complicated logistics in getting back to the start point. So I decided to write my own book which not only had good walks but included interesting perspectives. I tried out each walk on average at least four times, it took me around three years to get to the stage where I felt I knew them well enough to recommend them. Once the book was published, 30 of the walks were then reproduced in La Côte newspaper and they seemed to be very popular.

Ed's note: Even if you are not fluent in French, this book it easy to understand, and if you translate a few words before you set off walking, you should not have any problems. The maps are clearly laid out and there are practical tips such as where to park, the length and difficulty of the walk, which maps cover the particular walk, and suggested places to eat along the way. All the walks are circular.

Erik continued, "Although the title of the book means "views of the lake" it can also means "perspective" of the lake, and the book is essentially my perspective of it".

"Through this book of walks I then became interested in other peoples' perspectives of the lake: in this case, those of local artists. I come from Belgium where the landscape is basically flat, whereas here the topography is so varied and the different landscapes around the lake can produce many emotions. I was keen too see how others felt and interpreted it through their art.
So that is how the next project came about. I visited artists in the Léman area and I asked fifteen of them to each submit five paintings for a book on art of the lake. One of the criteria in choosing the artists was that they must  have been living here for at least twenty years, so they must really know the area. What resulted was "Le Léman - Regards de peintres contemporains", a collection of panitings from watercolours to oils, all painted by very different artists with their unique style. Some of them were happy to talk about their work and explain how they had  interperated the lake, others were reticent to talk, believing the art spoke for itself.  Some of the artists have been painting all their life. One of them, Walter Mafli is now in his 90s. Some artists are famous and their work sells for a considerable sum - others maybe not as well known but what they all have achieved is bringing the lake to life in a lovely art collection.

Ed's note: This book would make an ideal Christmas present. Erik Chrispeel's books sell in the Libraire du Château in Rolle, in La Combe shopping centre in Nyon, in La Librairie in rue des Fossés in Morges.  See Erik's own website, for details of his publications and names of all the artists in the book.

Late night shopping in Nyon

Late night shopping for Christmas in Nyon will be Monday 21st and Wednesday 23rd  December. Shops will be open until 22:00.

Latest news on the Villa Niedermayer down by the lake. This building has lain empty for a while now and although various organisations have had their eye on using it, from the International Basketball Federation (there was a public vote that rejected this idea ) to the Visions Du Réel documentary film festival, it has now been confirmed that The Conservatoire de L'Ouest Vaudois will now be the new tenants. 
Good news indeed. More details when they become known.