Dickens play comes to Nyon and Future events this month

Date for your diary -Theatre production in English in Nyon on Friday 27th November. 

Photo: Isabelle Meister

Win tickets to see it!

Living in Nyon is delighted to announce it is in collaboration with the Usine a Gaz for the production of Dickens "Great Expectations". This production will be in English and will be performed by Thêatre Kayonan and is a perfect way to begin the Christmas season. It's also a great opportunity to meet other Anglophones on the evening, have a drink at the bar and begin the weekend watching classic theatre with a twist.

Photo: Usine a Gaz

Michelle Milner plays Pip the hero/ narrator and the beautiful Ella. Douglas Fowley Junior plays old Miss Havisham and other characters. With music composed and played by Yves Cerf this promises to be a production "envoûtant" (bewitching).

The bar opens one hour before the production so I hope to meet Living in Nyon readers at 20:00 for a drink.

If anyone is interested in going for an early meal/ pizza before this then let me know (at the email below same as for the competition ) and I will compile a list and reserve a table for us all.

The Usine a Gaz is offering a chance to win four tickets (2 pairs of two tickets) to this production via this site! Just send your name and details to cnp at (@) bluewin.ch and I will put the names into a hat  for a draw on Wednesday 10th November and I will let winners know by email.
 Theatre Kayonan  is a professional theatre company presenting works by English-language authors in English and French. The Geneva-based company plays in Switzerland and internationally.

Tickets for this production are 28 CHF and available either to book on the Usine a Gaz site, at FNAC, Carrefour in Segny in France, Disque Service in Nyon, Service Culturel Geneve, Migros La Combe, Stand info in Balexert  or they are available at the ticket office an hour before.

Please note all readers, below is a selection of events happening around the area in the next few weeks. There will be no updates now until the 23rd November as your Living in Nyon correspondent is taking a well earned break! However the Friday English column in La Côte will continue as will the Expat life shows on World Radio Switzerland.

Future Events

31st October/1st November 

Autumn fair in the Salle Communale at Commugny, free Car parking, Saturday 10h00 to 16h00.

Japanese Silks, Jewellery, Pottery, Wood Turning, Embroidered Towels; platters, Haute Couture Gowns & Fairy Costumes, Aquarelles of all the local villages and towns Photography; Antique Maps, for your home.  Hand painted Furniture, Curtain Making & Designer Cushion Covers, Handmade Throws (Kanthas) supporting the women in Bangladesh who make them. Usborne Books & Le Castor Bleu Craft kits. One-off Jewellery Designs. Antique Maps. Bistro serving Tea, Coffee, Wine, Homemade cakes and pastries.

Info: steveanddeb.w@gmail.com

Library in English Book Sale 6/7/8 November

Geneva’s BIGGEST sale of  second-hand books in English For children and adults· Thousands of second-hand books in English, classified by subject including collectors’ items and first editions. DVDs and CDs
Refreshments and home-baked goods in the Tea Room.

Friday 6 November 10:00–18:00  Saturday 7 November 10:00–17:00 Sunday 8 November 12:00–16:00·
For more information call 022 732 80 97 Email: library@thelibrary.ch See Library in English
3 rue de Monthoux  1201 Geneva (opposite the Grand Hotel Kempinski)

6th November

Latin American Music in Nyon

20:30 at the 1306 club in Nyon. Latin American music duo "Tierra and Semilla"

with Nancy Hernanez and Andrés Tapia . Free entry, hat passed round for contribution to the artists.

7th November

Essential Health and Beauty Workshops with Dr Marilyn Glenville, UK’s Leading Nutritionist.

Webster University, Bellevue, Geneva. For more information on Natural Alternatives to HRT and Prevention of Osteoporosis and Natural Beauty from the Inside-Out:

See peak of health    E-mail liz@peakofhealth.ch Tel. 021.8254562.

Drama

10-14 November  Comedy, Geneva English Drama Society. "It runs in the family "by Ray Cooney at the Theatre de Terre Sainte - Coppet see GEDS site for more details.

15 November

Photography event

17:00  Focale Conférence in the Salle du Manoir (next to the gallery)."Calvin World".

Photographer Nicolas Righetti and journalist Pierre Grosjean searched over five continents to search out people with the name Calvin.  They went from Brazil to Cameroon to Australia to New York and Malaysia

and produced this book of forty portraits of Calvins. They found a hairdresser called Calvin, a lawyer, a child, a grandfather a young girl all with one thing in common their first name or surname is Calvin. The book describes the life of each person, how they live, what their hopes are.

The FOCALE Galerie and Library is in 4, Place du Château - CH 1260 NYON and open from Tuesday to Sunday 14:00-18:00

22 November

Classical Music at the Conservatoire at 17:00  

"Dites-le moi Tuba"  See site for more details of concert and the site of the musicians to find out about their music.

Business Networking in Romandie

Business Networking and the Economist on those Online networking sites.

There are a plethora of business associations in the Lake Geneva area, many of which organise networking events. Recent examples have been a talk by the CFO of Ebay International hosted by the British/Swiss Chamber of Commerce, to a Mentorship Café hosted by GWIT. (Geneva Women in International Trade).These events serve a growing need to the employees of multinational companies that continue to relocate to the Nyon and Vaud area. These companies not only new bring new staff, but independent consultants and small businesses spring up on the back of all this new development. All positive news in the current economic climate.

However, if you are one of those people who run a small business and you want to meet others in the same position, how do you get to find out about all the networking events available? Local Bus-Net is an obvious but simple solution to this dilemma - a one stop site, recently created by two entrepreneurs, James Cullinan and Andrea Lung, it aims to list the many networking events in the Romandie area.

James Cullinan and Andrea Lung

                    

Doing business over a glass of wine

James originally from South Africa, has lived for over 16 years in various European cities and says; “I enjoy going to networking events wherever I am in the world. It’s fun to do business with a glass of wine in your hand, here in Switzerland some of the events have brought in some fine speakers and I have met some interesting people through them. Yet, although these events are very useful, sometimes you end up meeting the same groups of people in your area and although I’ve come away with a business card or two, I don’t necessarily follow all leads up afterwards. So I hit upon the idea of setting up an umbrella site for networking here for two reasons. Firstly, the site has a calendar that lists all the business events scheduled that month, so in one place you can see everything going on and not miss out on any networking opportunities. Secondly, as the site will also connect independent contractors in the area, (we will link Anglophile networks with Francophone ones) if someone is looking for a specific skill or business, they can use the site to be reminded of what and who there is out there and they can follow up any leads from events they have attended.

The Economist and the Walled Garden

James continues, “The other reason we set this up is a pragmatic one. We recognise that it is time-consuming to build and maintain a business profile on online social networks, let alone several. There was an interesting article in the Economist a while ago called “Everywhere and Nowhere” which likened social networking such as Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Linked In etc to a walled garden, in that these sites are useful but there is no exchange of content between the garden’s boundaries, so you have to keep logging on to each site to share information with other colleagues (see a Common Space blog article that discusses this).

Small businesses do not have a large public relations machine behind them. Rather than develop another fresh profile on our site, and take pains to ensure that it is consistent with the others, we simply offer the opportunity to hyperlink to your preferred profile(s) on our site”.

Andrea Lung explains: “I have worked in international project management before and I know that support networks are crucial. If you are a newly arrived expatriate then it takes time to establish your network of friends and associates Plus, for new businesses the burn out rate is fast. You're required to succeed in the first few years. We like to think of this site as a virtual coffee machine to congregate around when you want to meet and get to know others. We have kept the site simple, you don’t have to become a member, you don’t have to create a profile page, we are simply creating bridges between networks of people. I’ve have discovered there are a lot of talented business people out there in Suisse Romande, by creating this network of networks we hope to help others improve their business opportunities which in turn will help their enjoyment of living here too.

Quality of life in Switzerland

James chose to live in Switzerland because of the great quality of life it offers and says “since I’ve moved here it has exceeded all expectations”. I live in Lausanne, it’s a great city, where the town ends, the vineyards begin, a superb combination. Andrea originally from Hungary agrees; “I live in Pully and it’s beautiful, I’m lucky to have the lake and the nature that surrounds it on my doorstep.”

Check out the site.  A bulletin of upcoming events is emailed out fortnightly.

Security in New York and Julia - Julia. Exhibition and movie in English in Nyon

"Security" is the title of of a small photographic exhibition showing in the Focale Gallery in Nyon until the 22nd November. After the attacks to the city in New York on 11th September 2001, security measures have been tightened (control of identity cards, searches of bags in museums and libraries etc), all to reassure the population that concrete measures have been put in place for the nations's security.

Photo below by Marc Renaud -  Dowen Chandler. Doorman, 23rd St. Lexington  Avenue

Marc Renaud a photographer from Lausanne, took these photos between 2003 and 2004 to show that "these security measures as a reponse to the terrorist threat are more psychological and symbolic than necessarily efficient". In areas which are highly symbolic like Times Square or Liberty Island security is particularly reheightened and very visible, particularly the number of guards who protect a statue on a small  island.

These small photographic exhibitions are part of Focale, a non profit organisation supported by its members, and the town of Nyon. The exhibitions are free to enter and although the display area is small, it is quiet and gives the viewer plenty of time to look at the photographs in depth. There are photo books to browse through in the exhibition space and above there is a shop with cards and books on sale.

Focale is open Tuesday to Sunday 14:00-18:00 the gallery is in Place du Château 4 in Nyon



Also in Nyon the movie  in English, "Julia Julia" is showing at the Capitale Cinema in Nyon at 20:30 tonight 19th October, and tomorrow 20th October

Crans - Coffee, Tea, English Books and Art.

There aren't many places you can get a cup of coffee or tea for 1 Swiss Franc, browse through English books and look at art at the same time. But in Crans-Près Céligny you can.



This is because the public library (in the salle communale in the centre of the village) has a whole section of English books that are available to borrow. Above the library there is a spacious gallery which is open to the public where artists can show their work and hold "vernissages".

The library has been offering this service since 1974 when the library was first opened and founded by Denise Meier. Artists and photographers who show their work vary from those starting out on their career, to that of the famous Nyon artist Jean Knechtli, to current exhibitor Claude-André Depallens.

Photos below: Art from Monseiur Depallens, watercolours of the roofs of St Prex

Art painted on the old wooden boards used for cooking Vacherin Mont D'or cheese

The artist

Krystyna Dislich works as a volunteer at the library and is in charge of the English section and says: "We try to keep up to date with the latest books and a new book is added to the collection each month (this month's addition is "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" by Mary Ann Shaffer)."

There are a considerable amount of English speaking people in the village here and we are catering to a need, we have a cosy reading area for children and kids books in English. We also have an English reading group that meets to discuss books too.

For the exhibition space, artists can show their work for around 4-5 weeks, each time there is a new exhibition we inform everyone on our mailing list, so the villagers get the chance to meet others at the vernissage and it's a good social gathering.

Membership of the library is just 20 chf for residents of Crans, 30 chf for those from other communes.

Opening times are Monday 19:30 -21:00 Wednesday 14:00-15:30 Friday 14:00-16:00 and Saturday 10:00 -12:00

The Library also accepts gifts of books too to add to their collection. If you would like to donate any or have any questions about the library contact either Krystina Dislich (she speaks fluent English) or head librarian Agnes de Boer.

Living in Crans. The Village of Crans -Près Céligny is just a few miles from Nyon and has some lovely old buildings, a small supermarket, post office, butcher, restaurants and a chateau. It also plays host to the Caribana festival down by the lake in June. The village has its own site with more information (in French) from when the recycling and rubbish will be collected, to the opening times of its public buildings and offices.

Note: There will be a Troc de Jouets on 31st October in the Salle Communale from 11:00 -15:00 (whats a troc? see previous post with explanation) Items on sale such as ski wear, bikes, books and DVDs and and baby equipment. For more information click on "Troc de Jouets" on the village page on "plus d'infos ici"

More on living in this village in in a future post.

The butcher's shop in the village

Nyon beach comes alive on Sunday. Expat Life, Swiss Politics at Expat-Expo

This Sunday the winter buvette in Nyon will officially open at 11:00 a.m (with an "apéro" on offer!) at the plage of Nyon. The buvette and dutch bath will be open each weekend and will be run and organised by volunteers of the association of Les Bains des Tres Jetées. The association's aim is to preserve this part of the lake area and to keep activities going throughout the year. In January there will also be a temporary sauna by the lake for use in the winter months.

Also on Sunday, over at Palexpo in Geneva, it's the BIG Expat Fair called EXPAT EXPO. With over 180 exhibitors, this a great event for the English-speaking community. Even if you have lived here for a while it's good to go and check out all the clubs, businesses and events that are around and available for the Anglophone. If you are new here these fairs provide an invaluable source of information.

Fancy being a writer or want to know more about the world of writing?

The Geneva Writers' Group meets once a month from September to June in the Welcome Centre of Geneva and they are a friendly group of writers (120+ members) from beginners to published novelists to poets to screen play writers to travel writers. The group have many members from Nyon and those that come from further afield! The group will have a stand at Expat Expo if you want to know more about them.

Also at EXPAT EXPO on Sunday. At 13:00 there will be a World Radio Switzerland "Expat Life Special" in the conference room where the presenter Conor Lennon and myself will be taking any questions you may have about expat life. The show will be recorded for a later broadcast on WRS. See site for more details.

Want to know more about Swiss Politics in English?

There will also be a talk at 16:00 at Expat Expo by Jordan Davies called "Swiss Politics for Dummies". Jordan Davis, the WRS expert in Swiss National Affairs, will give a presentation on what you should know about Swiss politics. Questions welcome. (at the WRS conference room)
I recommend this talk as it gives an excellent overview of the political situation here in Switzerland.

Other events back in Nyon this weekend. There's jazz music on at the Usine a Gaz tonight at 21:00 with Malcon Braff Electric Tryo, and over at the Chateau de Prangins it's the last few weeks of the photography exhibition called Conflit D'images.

News! "One off " big rock festival planned above Nyon.

Nyon is extraordinarily lucky to have both Caribana and Paléo, two superb music festivals on it's doorstep. However next Spring, rock fans will get the chance to have yet another as there will be a big "one off" festival in Longirod called Longirock in the hills above Nyon. The festival will take place from 13-15 May and will feature International and Swiss rock bands.



Nelly Pellet, secretary of Longirock explained more about the festival to Living in Nyon.

"The village of Longirod is quite small with around four hundred inhabitants, however for the festival, the farmers in the area have come together and agreed that we can use their land for the event. So we will be able to welcome up to 50,000 people in an area of four hectares. There will be around 40 acts played on 3 main stages at the festival site next May.

The festival came about when a group of young people in the area mooted the idea of a festival up in this area. Not only to bring great music but to let fans see what a beautiful part of the world this is.The scenery is stunning, and there are some great views of the Alps and the lake. The other aim is to make this a one off and unique event that will stay in everyone’s memories, not only for its size and setting but also for the quality line-up. We arranged a date for the festival and then we discovered it also falls on the Ascension weekend which is purely coincidental but fortunate as music lovers will be in holiday mode too!"

Lots of volunteers needed

Like the other festivals in the area it will be professionally run (the festival organisers have been given a loan of 2 million francs for the event), but we will still need the help of lots of volunteers in all categories to help it go smoothly. The programme will be officially announced in February and we are very excited by it already.

As Longirod is not on the train line we are working out a transport system that will bring in festival goers by bus and we will also encourage car sharing. Originally we had planned to have the festival in the open air but as everyone who lives here knows, in May the weather can either be absolutely beautiful or quite rainy and cold so we are preparing for this by providing tents for the acts and for the fanso. Although it's a rock festival and we want rock fans, we also want fans who appreciate their environment and who are willing to bring a spirit of good will to the event.

Want to know where Longirod is? It's about 40 km equidistant from Geneva and Lausanne. Nearest villages are St George and Le Vaud. Check it out here on map search

Want to be a volunteer at this one off event? Check out the section called "Inscription bénévoles"
(the rest of the site is in English apart from this section)

Here's a rough translation for you

Tu es libre au mois de mai et tu aimes le rock sous toutes ses formes? Alors n'hésite pas à prendre de l'altitude et rejoins-nous! Are you free in May and you like rock in all forms? Then don't hestitate to come and join us.

Deviens bénévole au Longirock et contribue à faire de ce festival un événement unique et exceptionnel dans une ambiance festive et amicale dont nous nous rappellerons longtemps.

Become a volunteer and make your contribution to this exceptional and unique event in a festive ambience that we will remember forever.

Nous avons besoin de toi, que tu aies des compétences particulières ou non, il te suffit d'être motivé(e). Nos besoins sont très variés et touchent différents secteurs:

We need you whether you have any particular skills or not you just have to be motivated! We need help in different sectors:

Billetterie, bar, accueil, infirmerie, information, backstage, stand merchandising, parking, sécurité, contrôrole des accès, cuisine, etc... durant les 3 jours du festival and infrastucture

Ticketing, bar, welcome, the infirmarie, backstage, merchandising, parking, security etc throughout the three days of the festival. Infrastructure, montage, démontage, cuisine, nettoyage, etc... 3 semaines avant et après le festival. Assembly and infrastructure etc, three weeks before and after the festival.

For your help you will get a badge that gives you entry to all the concerts and other advantages.

Check out the Longirock website for details.

Classic British Car Show and other local events this weekend

This is a busy time of year in the area, the grape harvest is in full flow, la Chasse is now available in the restaurants, and on Saturday it's the Autumn market in Nyon with fruit and veg, music and artisanal stands galore.

The Roman museum in Nyon reopens today the 2nd and also today Friday at 20:30 there is a jazz concert over at the Conservatoire of Nyon. Maliza N and Ornelle Ponnaz Duo will perform in the Salle Mingus at 20:30.

Over at the Usine a Gaz on Friday there's rock with the group Red Castle Addiction.

The Desalpes takes place on Saturday in St Cergue, this is when the cows are brought down from the high ground (see previous post)

Over in Morges there's a major event this weekend

As on Saturday 3rd October it's the The Swiss Classic British Car Meeting which will be held on the quayside in Morges from 10:00 to 17:00. In 2008 the event attracted more than 20,000 visitors and saw over 1200 classic British cars and motorbikes turn up, from not only Switzerland, but many from France, Germany, Italy, the UK, Belgium and the Netherlands. Everything from MGs from the 1950s, Austins from the 1930s, racing Jaguars from the ‘60s, and old Rolls-Royces and Bentleys, including a few classic Triumphs and Royal Enfields from the golden age of English bikes.

MG's of all ages, from the 1960's MGB in the foreground to the 1930's MG TA at the end of the row.

Photos above and below: Peter Colberg

Above: An Austin Seven. This small car completed the Route 66 in the US, ( 2,400 miles) The car was then driven from Los Angeles to Terra del Fuego via the Andes!

This year at the show there will be three invited makes,

Lots of Austin Healey 3000s (the car is celebrating it's 50th anniversary) These cars will be coming from all over Europe and will be on display in the chateau grounds.

The Morgan (celebrating it's 100th anniversary) will turn the central road in the Park d'Indépendance into "Morgan Street for the day" and there will also be Minis galore (the car celebrates it's 50th anniversary this year) these will fill the pedestrian promenade to the Hotel Fleur du Lac

Attendance is free for participants and visitors, plus souvenir prizes for all drivers, and special awards for the oldest car and motorcycle on view. See site for full details.

and finally don't forget that on Sunday it's the "Pink Ribbon" trail over in Jussy, a great walk and a great way to end the weekend.

If you time it right, you might be able to catch some or all of the above events!

Behind the scenes of UEFA in Nyon

There couldn't be a greater contrast between the noise and frenzied excitement of a football match, to the calm and peaceful atmosphere within the walls of the UEFA building here in Nyon. In a long sleek building, an interior that is all light and glass, with smooth wooden and marble floors all in clean lines and all overlooking Montblanc and the lakeside, it seems hard to imagine how any work is ever done within the hallowed walls.

Surely it would be tempting to spend all day staring at the view or simply listening to the lake's waters lapping around the shores of the building.

Yet despite the tantalising view, behind the quiet facade lies a huge working busy organisation: UEFA -The Union of European Football Associations. With 236,000 clubs, 329,000 referees and 1,600 games all to be looked after, there's a lot to be managed and supervised and decisions to be made on all things football related. Home to approximately 243 employees, half of them Swiss, (the other half 24+ different nationalities), they all come to work in what must be one of the most stunning settings to earn a daily living.

Yesterday a guided tour of the building was given by Mr Jean-Paul Turrian (UEFA presidential advisor) to a group of interested individuals who had come via the Université Populaire (more on this association below). After a brief introduction to the reception area, the group was led to the auditorium where Mr Turrian welcomed the group on behalf of Michel Platini (the current president of UEFA).

Mr Jean-Paul Turrian

Then came a presentation beginning with the history of how the association came to be in Nyon in the first place, (after starting in Paris then onto Berne then a lot of to-ing and fro-ing between Zurich and Geneva) a decision was made to create a permanent European headquarters. Nyon close to transport links, and other Swiss and European cities, was chosen as an ideal place to house the headquarters.

A beautiful building for the beautiful game

A competition was then launched to design the building, and here we saw the buildings that didn't make it, one of them two towering skyscrapers, the other a hideous, heavy shape, a far cry from the design that won. The present building (10 years old this week) is laid out on three levels, a structure that doesn't dominate the skyline but makes the most of the surrounding gorgeous scenery. The structure is designed so that are there are no pillars blocking out the light on each level, the aim of the design is to symbolise transparence. "We have nothing to hide here".

After a brief explanation of the organigram of UEFA along came various statistics along with details on how UEFA is funded, television rights, the income that these bring along with ticket sales, hospitality packages and other sources of revenue. Apart from the top matches and well known cups such as the Champions League, and the UEFA Europa League there are others that don't always get as much publicity (see site for full listing). UEFA also encourages football at grassroots level and helps in developing countries in Eastern Europe and Africa this was followed by a short film on its support of football in the special Olympics.

Within the building employees work across many departments, from those that deal with the harmonisation of match calendars, to those that work with the school of referees to the department dealing with anti-doping issues in football. There there's the section for female football matches (female football is becoming increasingly popular each year). The media department has over 30 employees alone working on alternative media and the UEFA internet site is even translated into Japanese as that country has many followers of European football.

After the stats, fact and figures, the group were then shown a short film on the funny side of football: the goals missed by a mile, the fox running on to a pitch during a match, players attempting to play in mud and torrential rain, crying fans, tearful players, exasperated managers, players who didn't follow the fair play rule, players kissing other players in jubilation, balls accidentally hitting members of the crowd and one where the ref kicked the ball backwards. The film, shown in the large auditorium in the base of the building is an area is also used for those all important live match draws and can be linked up to satellite coverage within minutes.

The auditorium

After a short question and answer session, the tour then continued around the building via the staff restaurant (with a menu more akin to Michelin than motorway station).

The court room where decisions are made if there is a dispute or incident in a match or if a team "was robbed".

The group were then led on to the roof where they were then shown the progress of the work on the second UEFA building (called La Clairière) which is being constructed on the other side of the road, access will be through an interconnecting underground walk way.

This building is due to be completed by 26th March 2010 and the keys officially handed over at 11:00 on that day. The construction firm will pay a penalty clause and be fined if there is any delay to the date.

The new building continues with the same theme of light and transparence and has a design that takes environmental concerns into consideration. The windows will keep the building cool in summer, yet retain heat in winter. This circular building has also been planned to make the most of the view and the nature surrounding it.

Other plans - This old house below (also an Uefa property) will be turned into an International Football museum.

UEFA reception

The tour ended where it began, in reception amongst all the European football trophies that are displayed within glass cases, including the coveted Euro Cup. Trophies that all footballers want to hold aloft one day and all fans want to see their team or country win.

Some of us I fear will be waiting a long time (your Living in Nyon correspondent is English)....

Further info.

Université Populaire organises various tours and courses throughout the year such as an introduction to the history of music to storytelling. Courses are in French.

From the UEFA website

*UEFA is a representative democracy, comprised of 53 national football associations, and is itself recognised by FIFA as one of six continental federations. The organisation of the administration of football is based on a pyramid system of regulations, with FIFA the world governing body, UEFA the European governing body and national football associations the governing bodies at domestic level.

Want to know more? The UEFA website has a frequently asked questions section.