Party for Paléo plus oldies and newies scheduled to play - by Jonas Parson The line-up for the 40th edition of Paléo Festival was revealed in Nyon today by both Daniel Rossellat, the boss of Paléo and Jacques Monnier, head of programming. As Daniel Rossellat reflected, the 40th anniversary of a music festival is always a very special moment, especially since none of them knew the project would last this long - and is set out to last much longer! A 7th day has been added this year to the festival to celebrate it in style so with a series of big stars and musical legends, the 40th Paléo Festival will once again be a great week of music and celebration. It will also be the occasion to thank Nyon and the surrounding area, with a big party in town on the 18th July.  All the volunteer workers at Paléo will be the focus of a book specially edited for the festival called "Complices en Coulisses".  There will be a special show on Friday 24th by Vincent Kucholl and Vincent Veillon, called "120 secondes presente le Paléo" which will look back on the history of the festival with the usual tongue in the cheek humour and audacity that the two Swiss satirists have become known for. A day for memories: Musical legends on Saturday The 40th anniversary milestone was the perfect excuse, explained Daniel Rossellat, to bring back some of the bands that have marked the history of the festival- and indeed, the history of music over the last 40 years. Saturday night is set out to be an evening of legends, with Robert Plant , Joan Baez and Patti Smith performing at l'Asse. As Rossellat quite aptly put it, it will be a night for the older generations to see the bands that made the music of their youth, and for the younger generations, the perfect opportunity to see some of the most important bands of the 20th century. Rossellat retold the story of Joan Baez's first concert at Paléo, in July 1982- they'd received a letter the year before asking if they would be interested if she came to Nyon (they were thrilled!), and when she did come, the Festival beat their own records, with over 22,000 people having bought tickets, and traffic jams all the way to Coppet and Gland (great news for Rossellat, less so for the police officer who was trying to keep things slightly organised) Patti Smith will be performing the whole of her début album “ Horses ”, which came out exactly 40 years ago. Superstars, friends of the festival and a lot of newcomers Continuing with the musical giants coming to Nyon this summer, Sting , Johny Hallyday and Veronique Sanson will be playing alongside younger bands such as Kings of Leon , the American rock sensation who are used to filling up stadiums, and will be playing one of their only two dates in Europe this summer, and Passenger - the stage name of English songwriter Michael Rosenberg - who's song “Let Her Go” topped the charts across the world - including here in Switzerland. He will be presenting his latest album, of which all the proceedings will go to UNICEF. Nothing more need be said - a t-shirt said it all a couple of weeks ago - about Robbie William whose super-show will be opening the festival on Monday, this will most probably be an impressive moment. When it comes to regulars invitees of l'Asse (L'Asse is the name of the actual grounds of Paléo) they will make up one third of the line up this year- slightly more than the usual 1/4-3/4 ratio of the festival, due to anniversary nostalgia – Ben Harper will be back again with the freshly reformed Innocent Criminals, for another concert since his first concert in Nyon in 1994. Also back together after several solo projects are Angus and Julia Stone , another band favoured by Paléo, who, as Jacques Monnier explained, enjoy following the progress of some of the bands they invite to the festival. Back with a new album, always reinventing his music, British dandy Charlie Winston will please the crowd for the second time this summer. But all these known faces only account for a third of the bands who will be coming, and as usual, it is with all the small and relatively unknown bands that Paléo creates a solid line-up. Among these, keep an eye out for the wild rhythms and funky beats of hip-hop band Alo Wala , with their electro-hip-hop, Feu! Chatterton and their poetic rock inspired by Bashung and Gainsbourg, Kate Tempest's energetic flow and the beautiful songs of Benjamin Clementine , young English songwriter whose talent was discovered in the Paris metro. Photo above - courtesy Paléo - Alo Wala The Far East between tradition and avant-garde As always, the Village du Monde is devoted to promoting the culture- both musical and culinary- of a certain area of the world. Showcasing traditional bands, but also and most of all- the newer generations of artists who are innovating on these traditions, so it is opening its doors to China, Japan, South Korea, Mongolia and their neighbouring countries this year. Always a perfect place to discover unknown gems, look out for the traditional Japanese drummers of the Tambours de Tokyo , the surprising Jambinai, who use traditional instruments for their very own brand of metal, the Mongolese mix of country and rock with overtone singing by Hanggai, or the solo performance of Wang Li, great specialist of the Jew's harp ! The ticket office will open next Wednesday, 22nd April, at 12:00, online at paleo.ch, and in certain retail points. Get all the info and the full line-up here Photo above - courtesy Paléo - Tambours de Tokyo.

If you have recently arrived in Switzerland, you may not know that you don't need to head off to Brazil to be part of Carnival. There are parades and mini carnivals taking place all over the country. Some are well known such as the Fastnacht in Basel, or carnival in Lucerne, however the small village of Broc (near Gruyères just an hour from Nyon) put on a splendid  show this weekend, with little children and adults taking part.    The town of Nyon doesn't hold a carnival (there is so much going on the rest of the year) but if you are heading off to a ski resort or thermal baths for a weekend check there isn't a carnival parade planned in that area for the next few weeks. The photos below give you a flavour of what to expect,  and the Smilebox at the end of this has even more photos. It takes a few seconds to load and provides a bit of a colour and music to these cold winter days.    Make a Smilebox slideshow

On Saturday 29th September at 19:30 ”Le Pickpocket”  will be premiered at  L'Elastique Citrique  (Nyon's circus school). This film involves over 70 youngsters from the region and  includes scenes of Nyon and the surrounding area. Jonas Parson, one of Living Nyon's music and film writers, spoke to the director to find out more about this film. Adrien Borruat is an eighteen year-old student at the Gymnase de Nyon. But outside the classroom, he devotes himself to his passion: film-making. He started when he was 14, and he's still as passionate about it. He has just finished working on his last project; an hour-long called the "Pickpocket" This film is an amateur movie made by local youngsters and is led by Adrien and a core committee of three or four people ( his sisters, girlfriend and best friend) under the name of Vol Ô Vent Production. Adrien told Living in Nyon, “Compared to what I'd done before, this is something new, on a much bigger scale. This is our largest project by far, it took a year to make and brings together about 70 people from the region. We want to have fun while making movies with a high standard”.  With no financing, the committee defined the profile of the actors and extras they were looking for before using their contacts to find the appropriate people, who all live in the Nyon area".   “If pickpockets fascinate me so much, it's probably because I've never had my wallet stolen from me”, joked Adrien about the subject of his movie. “I love everything to do with magic and circus, and you get a bit of that in pickpocketing, you even get 'professional' pickpockets who use their skills to entertain!  More seriously though, when I usually start thinking about a new story for a movie, I begin with just one sentence – maybe the core idea of the movie, and then develop from that one sentence to get the whole movie; in this case, it's the story of a young pickpocket who discovers, on a camera he has stolen, the picture of his long-lost love, and how the search for her helps him get a grip on his life, at a time where everything is going haywire.” Filming The filming mainly took place in the old town of Geneva, in Nyon, and in some villages above Nyon, such as Begnins. Although it was mostly filmed in urban settings, the lakeside takes up an important place in the movie – “as a way to give the characters who spend their time in the city somewhere to escape to when they need some calm”, explains Adrien, giving for some beautiful scenes on the lakeside at sunset. “We took a lot of time finding where we could film parts of the movie, and it made me rediscover our region - and realise how lucky we are to live in such beautiful settings”. See a trailer of the movie below Hard work “Obviously making a movie isn't easy- organising filming days, that and the actor's availabilities and the unpredictability of the weather, it was quite hard work!  Despite all the different obstacles that came our way it was also a good experience to learn and to get better. At the beginning of the summer, the filming was over, with approximately 100 hours of filming. “Each shot is filmed about seven times, to make sure we get at least one good shot. Then I spent nearly my whole summer editing the movie. You normally count one hour of editing for every minute of the movie, I reckon I spent about 100 hours for the editing, obviously some scenes are easier to edit than others!” Adrien recalls one time when they were filming in a park in Geneva, when suddenly two policemen came up to them- Adrien was sure they were going to tell them off for filming in the park, but they only told them to keep their belongings close- and look out for pickpockets! “All in all", told me Adrien," this film was a great adventure, that brought together about 15 actors and 50 extras from the region, from 11 to over 70 years old. The music for the film was made by a local band, called "Insecure", in exchange for making a video-clip for the band. It was hard work and lots of fun, and the screening on the 29 th is the best way to come and meet us and see what we've done, and it's the consecration of a years work.”   “Le Pickpocket” will be shown on the 29 th of September at 7:30 pm at L'Elastique Citrique (Nyon) there will also be another screening  on the 7 th of October at at 5 pm at l'atellier de Mlle F. (Crassier) (to book a seat for the 7 th of October, send a mail to : collectif46@gmail.com ) Free entry, donation at the end of the movie.

For those readers looking for ideas to make a donation to a local charity at Christmas, here are a couple of suggestions. The first, is a challenge that was undertaken by Scott Poynton, Executive Director of TFT - The Forest Trust , whose headquarters are based in Nyon. In 2014, Scott embarked on a Moustache growing adventure for the Movember Foundation to raise money and awareness for men's health. It was a great success and he ended up raising about CHF 5,000. This year, he decided he would have another go but this time, climbing the equivalent altitude of Mount Everest! When climbers ascend Everest, they typically fly from Kathmandu (Nepal's capital) to a place called Lukla which is at 2,860m altitude. They then walk the 60km to Everest Base Camp before ascending the mountain (8,848m). That means they've climbed 5,988m from Lukla. As Lac Léman is at 372m and the top of La Dôle (the mountain in the Jura near Nyon) is at 1,670m, the difference is 1,298m. So by walking that distance (total distance about 30km) 5 times, Scott has clocked up up 6,490m in altitude which is more than the 5,988m from Lukla to the top of Everest. Although the main fundraising month of November is now over there are still a few days left in December where you can help  Scott's fundraising challenge . Photo above - Scott Poynton in right of photo below La Dôle The second charity is La Maison des Enfants in Nyon. The Maison des Enfants is a charitable association set in a large house just on the outskirts of Nyon and is open in the afternoon for all children from age 6 to 12. Here children are looked after by professionals and volunteers and all free of charge, this service is particularly appreciated by working parents on a low income.  The house has a large garden, so the children can play outside and create handicrafts, use computers and have help with homework.  Donations help the Maisons des Enfants continue with their work. Click here to donate. You can even help them by simply providing a snack for the afternoon "gouter" for the children. Note: A portion of the profits from the "Living along Lac Léman" book is donated to this charity by Living in Nyon

There will be fireworks at 22:15 on the 1st August at Nyon's lakeside to celebrate Swiss National Day. Nyon château will also be lit up red for the occasion.  Prior to the fireworks there will be an ceremony beginning at 19:00 at the Esplanade des Marroniers. At 19:40, there will be the ringing of bells, at 19:45 the presentation of the flag, the official ceremony will begin at 19:50 including an address by Mr Darius Rochebin , presenter of the nightly 19:30 news on RTS television. After the ceremony finishes, there will be a parade through the town ending up by the Rive. Members of the public can take part in this parade. Children can take part too and carry lanterns through the town. More details in the poster below.

Help Clean Up Nyon On Friday the 11th of September it's "Clean Up Day" in Nyon. Volunteers are welcome to help clean up (collecting rubbish etc) in the principal tourist areas of the town, these being: the terrace and the area of Place du Château, the promenade des Vieilles Murailles, l’Esplanade Jules César, l’Esplanade des Marronniers, la Rue de la Gare, le Parc du Bourg de Rive and along the lake side. At midday, a free picnic lunch will be offered on the terrace of the castle to all volunteers before the clean up begins. Photo below - the terrace of Nyon's castle The clean up itself will finish at around 16:30. To volunteer, please email Caroline Demierre Burri at Nyon tourist office before the 8th September  caroline.demierre@nrt.ch  stating your surname and first name so you can be added to the volunteer list. Even if you don't speak much French, this is a good way for newcomers to get know others and locals in a volunteering capacity. Public Toilets in Four Nyon Restaurants  It's often difficult to find a public toilet in areas of Nyon that are outside the main tourist areas of the town, so the council has come up with an interesting new initiative called "Welcoming Toilets". Four Nyon restaurants will open their doors to enable members of the public to use the toilets without any obligation for them to eat or drink on the premises.  Each restaurant will receive 100 CHF per month to make their facilities available.  This solution avoids the need for a much larger investment of constructing toilet blocks in the town. The four restaurants participating in the scheme are: the Café du Boiron in Route de Stand 70, "Les Fontaines" in Chemin d'Eysins 45 A,  Les Glycines  in Chemin des Plantaz 56,  et l'Entre-Deux  in Route de Divonne 4. Fa Sol Lac - Concerts by the lake on Saturday 5th  There will be free concerts  by the lake in Nyon on Saturday 5th September from 15:00 onwards  The energy provided by these concerts will be supplied by solar energy. Solar Sound System, Gypson 5 CH and other bands are on the line up. Roadworks end in Rolle  On Saturday the 12th September the  town of Rolle will celebrate the end of the roadworks that have been dominating the centre and outskirts of the town for many months.  "More Beautiful than Before" is the slogan attributed to the town on its website now that it has had a "lifting".  The celebrations begin at 09:00 with breakfast offered by the commune, at 11:00 there will be an official speech folllowed by an apéro. At 15:00 there will be a waiters' race in the town. More events are planned throughout the day with a bouncy castle, balloon sculpture, bars and stalls.

Interview with Peter Entell - U.S film director living in Founex Photo above - Peter Entell in Nyon's old town On the 6 th March, the film “A Home Far Away” , is set be screened in cinemas across Switzerland. There will also be an avant-premiere at Nyon's Capitole cinema on Tuesday 5 th  March at 20:00 .  This film is mainly set in and around the Nyon area and was reviewed (click here)  during the 2012 Visions du Reel film festival. In the second in our series of “Afternoon Tea with.. ” we spoke to Peter Entell, the film’s director. In this first part of this interview we discover more about this award winning U.S documentary film maker who lives in Founex just outside Nyon. In the second part of the interview we focus on his films. Entell, originally from New York first arrived in Switzerland in 1975 on August 1 - Swiss National Day. Photo above - Swiss National Day in Rolle “Everyone was dancing and singing and I thought, “everyone is so joyous, this is fun!”  It was a great introduction to the country. I initially came over here because of a relationship, but then found work with U.N.H.C.R . (the United Nations Refugee Agency) as a sound recordist for their film department - we went to wherever there were refugee problems in the world. I had really hit lucky with such a job. After studying anthropology at an American university, I went backpacking across Europe with a friend.  At one stage during the trip, we were sat in a café in Italy and chatting about what we were going to do with our lives. We joked about being film makers (both of us being passionate about film), and yet here I was, in Switzerland just a few years later, doing exactly that. I was being paid to learn a craft, ride in jeeps in Africa, travel around the deserts of Somalia, and many other places. For such a young man this was a fabulous experience, although I could tell that some of the films that we were making were there purely to “sell” the U.N. and we had to gloss over or simply not mention situations that were going on in certain countries.  There is no doubt I gained valuable film making experience during this period but when the Belgian-Zimbabwe Friendship Association asked me if I was interested in making a film (“Moving on : The Hunger for Land in Zimbabwe”) about the independence of Zimbabwe, their request came at the right time and I readily accepted”. Generous people in film business  Previously Entell had only been working with sound and editing and had never actually directed a film, but after having spent seven years watching others, he felt he had picked up enough knowledge to be able to make his own. “There are some very generous people in the film industry, individuals who are willing to share their expertise with you”. “Filming in Zimbabwe was extraordinary, I made several trips. I didn’t visit any of the usual tourist haunts, I lived in one area farmed by blacks whose farms were tiny little parcels of land, and then in the areas of white owned farms, their farms were made up of thousands of hectares, the country was going through a huge transition period at the time”. Being an independent film director - one of the best jobs in the world “For that first film I was on a huge learning curve, but it was my own. Being able to direct and be an independent film director is one of the best jobs in the world. You can choose your subject and how to cover it, plus you are usually with very talented people, and it can be a wonderfully creative process”. After that first film in 1982, Entell travelled to t he Inner Mongolia region of China and made three further films. “I learnt how to pitch for films, chase up proposals and source funding, to hustle and find out who would be interested in the subject matter. It’s a long, long process to getting a film made.  You would think the process would be easier for me after all these years but it’s not. You may know more people and the door may open that little bit wider, but you still have to go through the whole rigmarole, you have to have a rock steady dossier, you still have to sell the film to people and convince them that you are the one to make it”. Switzerland a paradise for making movies “Having said that, it certainly helps living here, as Switzerland is a paradise for film making. There are so many structures that exist to help with financing. This is due in no small part to the film makers, who in the past have put pressure on politicians to support Swiss culture. “Swiss Films” the organisation inZurich, gives advice to film makers and helps promote Swiss films abroad. There are lot of resources to help filmmakers at a federal, cantonal and a communal level”. Unique to Switzerland “There is also another mechanism that is unique to Switzerland. If you are lucky enough to sell your film to Swiss television, firstly you receive money from the sale, then from the royalties on the film, and also from an excellent system called “succès passage antenne”. Every time one of your films is played on any Swiss TV channel, money is put aside in an account to develop your next film. This can add up to a significant amount of money. So when I begin to work on a new film, I don’t have to start at zero. In addition there is “success cinema” - for every ticket bought by the cinema-going public, the film maker gets a portion too. This is all supported by the Swiss government. The Swiss are naturally very proud of their Swiss made films. What’s next after “A Home Far Away”? Entell says he put so much energy in to each film, (they usually take 3-4 years to make) he usually is  devoid of new ideas for a while after, but now he does have a concept for his next project. "I won’t elaborate too much, but suffice to say the film is going to be about the reaction of human beings to other speciesin certain situations. It will be much more innovative and perhaps more provocative than anything I have done before. It will involve the use of tiny, micro cameras, the technology of these has evolved so much in the past few years it means I can explore this subject in more depth. I think the young generation will be whooping with excitement at the subject, the older generation probably may not like it, we shall see”. Entell reflects “I hit lucky getting into the business when I did. Today there are thousands of great films out there, it can be hard for a film maker to distinguish their films between all the others. You have to be very solid and have lots of perseverance to work in this industry”. Entell is pleased that Nyon is host to Visions du Réel, the annual documentary film festival. "The town welcome filmmakers to this beautiful area, and we all get to watch extraordinary documentaries from around the world. When I’m not filming, I love hiking, skiing, and being part of local life. I don’t think I would fit into New York life any more, I love it here. Nyon is home now". Read on to hear more about some of Entell’s other films - “Shake the Devil Off”, “Josh’s Trees”, “Rolling” , “A Home Far Away” and how he uses a cameraman who lives in Nyon for many of his films.

Check out the hairstyles, fashion and music back then! As part of the celebrations for the 40th anniversary of Paléo, the festival, in collaboration with Radio Television Suisse , has released a montage of films highlighting the festival over the years. Check out a very young Daniel Rossellat (president of the festival and current mayor of Nyon) announcing the first Nyon "folk festival" to the press in 1976.  Spot  the backdrop of the château before it was renovated in the late 1990's. Rossellat is wearing a checked shirt in the interview, an item of clothing that still remains his trademark today. In the films ( click here to see them all ) you can see clips of many bands from  James Brown to  Jamiroquai and even a quick glimpse of Oasis whose appearance in July 2000 made the news across the world when they stormed off stage mid-concert. Read here about the background to this incident in a 2013 Living in Nyon interview  with Chris Parson, the English translator for the festival.      The very first festival was held in the Salle Communale in Nyon, it then moved down to the lakeside before moving up to the L'Asse grounds and it has now become one of the significant music festivals in Europe. Below are some Paléo statistics which make interesting reading.  Don't forget the big Paléo party in town tomorrow , the 18th July. Paléologie - 1976 à 1982 Statistics below - courtesy Paléo festival Since 1976 39 festivals 2,990 artists 4,033 shows 5,706,154 spectators In 2014, Paléo Festival Nyon involved 230,000 spectators 1,469 musicians and technicians 257 shows on 7 stages and animations 4,753 volunteers 1 area of 84 hectares (including the camping and the parking) 9000 campers each day 222 stall-holders and 54 bars 69 salaried staff (46 FTE full time employees) 610 journalists, photographers and media representatives: 239 newspapers, websites, magazines, record companies, TV and radio channels 29 Swiss and international Television 53 radio stations 13 Record companies A budget of 24 million Swiss Francs Internet 2,295,503 visitors between August 2013 and August 2014 (source: Google Analytics) 123,000 regular subscribers to the Festival’s newsletter at 1st August 2014 86,245 Facebook fans at 1st August 2014 Ticketing 75% of tickets sold via paleo.ch (print-at-home system). Paléo respects the environment 1,455,000 washable cups produced by Paléo since 2009. 45% of those present at the Festival use public transport or soft mobility to get here in 2014. 51% of the waste was sorted in 2014 (15% in 2000). Paléo uses 100% green energy. Spectator profile Figures presented below are taken from a survey conducted by the Haute Ecole de Gestion de Genève (face to face interviews) from a representative sample of spectators during the Paléo Festival Nyon 2013. Origin Nyon district 23% which Nyon and surroundings* 12% State of Vaud (without Nyon district) 28% State of Geneva 28% Other French speaking States 9% German speaking part of CH and Ticino 3% Foreign countries 9% * Duillier, Eysins, Grens, Prangins, Signy-Avenex, Trélex Age Under 20 years: 16% Between 20 and 29 years: 33% Between 30 and 39 years: 21% Between 40 and 49 years: 14% Over 50 years: 16% Average age of the spectators is 33 years. Half the spectators are younger than 30 years of age. Loyalty 13% discovers Paléo for the first time. 49% of the public had already taken part in more than 5 editions of the Festival. 99% of the public is considering as a certainty (84%) or a possibility (15%) of coming back the following year. Satisfaction 98% of the public present said they were satisfied or very satisfied with the way they were received on site. 96% of the public present thought the offer of food and drinks was either good or excellent.

If you are looking to do something with your children on Wednesday afternoon when they are out of school, then why not take a guided walk through the Bois de Chênes of Genolier? These woods are a lovely spot for a picnic and the guide from asgip will explain all about this nature reserve and provide games along the way. It's a 5km walk for children between 5-10 years old and for adults of all ages and takes place between 14:00-17:00. Here's the link to the actual walk or contact the guide Estelle Divorne who speaks English. Tel 022 364 40 71 Take a look at the asgip site to see other guided walks there's another in the Bois de Chênes on 13 May and a full moon walk in Burtigny on the 8th May (this latter walk is from 20:00 to 23:00 and for older children and adults)

On Sunday 6th November it's the Leman Expat Fair . Over 120 Swiss and international businesses and services with experience in serving the English-speaking community will be in one place under the same roof at the Beaulieu in Lausanne. Whether you have just arrived in Switzerland, or have been here for a while, these fairs are a great way of finding out what's available for expats in this part of Switzerland and they can give you a chance to meet others expats (and Swiss too of course !) Living in Nyon will have a stand at the fair (booth number 105) and will be selling copies of the book "Living along Lac Léman",  so do come and say "hello".  Check out the floor plan and list of exhibitors here New at the fair this year are  presentations given throughout the day on a variety of topics such as; "The Tourist Highlights of Vaud" given by the Office du Tourisme Vaud. There will also be a presentation by Diccon Bewes, author of "Swiss Watching" and another entitled "Raising Cross Culture and Global Nomad Children" by Suellen Bonga of CWC Suisse. For children there will be a face painting stand, plus crepes and gaufres (waffles) will be served between 14:00 and 16:00. For adults there will be a DVD and book exhange. Bring your DVDs and book and take home new titles!  There will also be a "green carpet" day-long putting initiation by Golf de Lavaux at the fair. Career Fair in same building on same day New this year at Beaulieu in association with International Link and CVIC (the Chamber Vaudoise of Commerce and Industry) there will be an International Career Fair in the same building.  This is an opportunity for employers who are looking for talent to be at the fair and for those looking for employment to search out job possibilities. This fair will also run presentations throughout the day such as "Energise your job search through a fresh approach"  to  "All you really need to know to get a job in Switzerland". This career fair is aimed at international and local professionals and their spouses. Find out all about this Career Fair here Check out the full list of presentations during the day here How to get to the Beaulieu building by car and public transport here Check out the list of specials prepared for visitors to the expat fair  here Reminder Book signing today November 4th at Nyon tourist office. There will be a "Living along Lac Léman " book signing today at Nyon tourist office between 16:00 and 18:00. Come and say "hello" and pick up a copy of the book for a birthday or Christmas present.   Other events Vide Grenier  - A reminder that this Sunday 6th November the IWCN willhave a table top sale at the Salle Communale. in Dully from 10:00 – 15:00.  Info: Anne-Marie Ramu  Tél. 021 824 13 03. Bénéfices pour la Fondation Vaudoise “Le Cube de Verre”. Classical Guitar Concert on Sunday Another reminder that  there will be classical guitar duet concert on Sunday 6th November at 17:00 at the COV ( see  previous post). Swiss Film to be shown in Nyon in presence of film maker Monday 7th November  In collaboration with Visions du Réel  and the Cinéma Capitale, the Swiss Film " Nel Giardino dei Suoni" will be shown on Monday 7th November  in Nyon at 20.15 in the presence of the film maker. This film has been described as a "magnificent film" by Bernard Koellish of  "Box Office". More on this event coming up on this site coming soon.

This weekend it's the Fête des Pirates in Nyon, and this year, sees the "Noble Confrérie of Pirates of the Rive" (a local charitable association) celebrate their 50th anniversary. This association organises events throughout the year, and aims to maintain local traditions along the lakeside. Readers may have seen the pirates dresssed in stripey tops and neckerchiefs around the town.  This weekend (Fri 21st, Sat 22nd and Sunday 23rd of August), the pirates will be offering free boat rides on the lake on the Nyolue boat on Saturday and Sunday,  there will be food stands open from 17:00 on Friday, and from 10:00 on Saturday and Sunday. There will be live music, a mini regatta challenge amongst the pirates and more. Also this week-end, there will be a two day Brocante fair along the lake. This fair differs slightly from the monthly one day marché aux puces (flea market) in Nyon. The Brocante invites over 80 sellers of high quality goods to the lakeside to sell their wares over a two day period.

Even though we are nearly into November, the lakeside in Nyon was very busy on Sunday with visitors and townsfolk. They were either catching some winter sun in the outdoor cafés, or pottering around in the monthly flea market down by the Rive. Others were taking advantage of the lovely weather by taking a ferry trip across the lake before the schedule changes to its winter timetable. There was even a queue at the icecream shop! Just because the tourist season is coming to an end, doesn't mean that activities stop here in this town. There's lots on the agenda in the coming months, and this site will be featuring some of them. Meanwhile if you have never been to the chateau in the centre of Nyon, now might be a good time to go as at the moment, entrance to it is free. From January 2009 there will be an entrance charge. However this charge will cover entrance to the chateau, the Roman Museum and the Léman Museum and will be valid for a year. Finally, good news for all of you who like to skate when its cold outside as there will be a temporary skating rink erected behind the railway station this winter. More on this in the next few weeks.