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The weather stayed fine on Saturday for the final night of the three day Jval Rock festival in Begnins. With the view of the lake and the rows of vines clinging to the slopes above and below, this has got to be one of the most spectacular local venues for a music festival. There is a family feel to the event with comfy chairs, cups of tea and home made cake for sale in the bar area. Yet despite the homely ambience, (after all this is in the grounds of someone's house) the event is professionally organised with car park attendants to help park along the vines and the festival has now become big enough to attract a major drinks sponsor. Saturday night opened (a little behind schedule) with the band Kassette, a lead female singer and guitarist singing in English and addressing the crowd in French. With her band consisting of another guitarist and a drummer this laid back rock was obviously a crowd pleaser. On this occasion I had to leave before the second band came on, however I will definitely put Jval in my diary for next year. The ticket prices aren't too prohibitive (25chf). It's a great place to go with a group of friends to soak up the sounds and that fabulous view.Back in Nyon, there's a small photography exhibition called "Métissage" going on until the 31st August. It is on in both the Focale Building in Place du Chateau and L'espace de la Grenette (this is in the corner of the Place du Marché). Each year supporters of the photography association FOCALE hold an exhibition of their own work and this is it. Don't let the rather graphic photo of the butcher on the promotional leaflets put you off, it's not all gory! There are some great photos in here, my favourites are the stylised pictures of hot air balloons but there's also some good photos too of local scenes, and travel photos such as those taken during a trip to Iran. This exhibition is free and open Tuesday to Sunday 14-00-18:00 Meanwhile, don't forget there lot's going each day with FAR , the big Arts festival in town. Check out the website for events which continue until 23rd August.

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There are lots of events happening in the first weeks of November in the Nyon region, here are a few listed below.  Plus, the Living in Nyon November newsletter is due to be sent out in the next couple of days, if you would like to receive it, just sign up in the subscription box in the box to the right of this post.  English play in Coppet - November 8 -13th. Friday 4th - "Living along Lac Léman"- book signing at Nyon Tourist Office,  Saturday 5th - Troc in Crans, plus Table Top sale in Dully.  Sunday 6th - Léman Events Expat Fair in Lausanne, Also on the 6th -Classical Music at the Conservatoire in Nyon.  Mountain First Aid Courses - 10th and 15th November Friday 11th November -   " A Flavour of India" evening in Nyon. Saturday 12th - "Souper de Soutien" Fund raising event for the Maisons des Enfants in Nyon From the 8th to the 12th November GEDS ( Geneva English Drama Society ) will present "A View from the Bridge" by Arthur Miller. A little bit about GEDS - The Geneva English Drama Society provides a diverse theatre programme with a wide variety of styles and periods. A typical season includes 3-4 full stage productions and 20 fortnightly staged playreadings, plus workshops and social events. The play readings normally attract 50-100 people, and provide onstage roles for both experienced and aspiring actors. Once a year they produce and perform a play in Coppet, just a few miles from Nyon at the Théâtre de Terre Sainte. This is a lovely theatre with lots of parking , it is also not too far from Coppet railway station. The theatre has a bar for a pre theatre drink . Note - if you book first night tickets you can enjoy a glass of bubbly and meet the cast !  The play - About "A View from the Bridge"  - This American classic is very well known and a standard text for schools and scholars: probably one of the four most frequently seen by one of the three or four leading American playwrights. Longshoreman Eddie Carbone lives in Brooklyn with his wife Beatrice and orphaned niece Catherine. Two Sicilian cousins arrive in the country illegally seeking work and are sheltered by Eddie. Catherine and Rodopho fall in love. Eddie is violently opposed without realizing his own motives.  Tragedy ensues, with an almost Greek-Chorus figure helping recount and comment on events in an imaginative script and production. It is an enthralling evening, funny by turns and always involving, as it moves to an inevitable end. The cast includes: Pilar Diaz Quesada, Fabrice Drouin, Bernard Giovannini, Undine Groeger, Howard Hornfeld, Neil-Jon Morphy, Cristen Schroer, Chuck Slovenski, David Stieber, Herman Westebeeke, and Jona Zeschke. First-night patrons are invited to join the cast for a glass of bubbly after the show. Tickets:   CHF 30 (seats numbered)  Students  CHF 19 on presentation of student  card  at the box office on the evening of performance, subject to availability of seats.  Book at Theatre in English on  choose your own seats, pay by credit card or bulletin de versement / e-banking and print your own tickets. Friday November 4th BOOK SIGNING AT NYON TOURIST OFFICE If you missed the launch of the book "Living along Lac Léman" in October there will be another opportunity to purchase a copy and have it signed by the author on Friday 4th November between 16:00 and 18:00. Come along and say "hello", you can also pick up a copy of the new (free) winter tourist brochure  to find out what  activities are going on in the Nyon and St Cergue region this winter. Saturday 5th November Troc de Crans  11:00 -15:00. There will be troc (second hand sale of goods) in Crans at the Salle Communale de Crans ( Rue Antoine-Saladin).   Sunday 6th November  The International Women’s Club of Nyon will be holding  a Vide Grenier (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” Sunday 6th November 17:00 Classical music concert in the lovely lake side setting at the Conservatoire de L'Ouest Vaudois - Barocco Guitar duet - Michel Borne and Claudia Gave  See COV Also on Sunday 6th November, it's the big Léman Expat Fair in Lausanne , plus this year a recruitment/career fair will be held in the same building  on the same day. Check here for more details - more about this fair coming soon on this site. Mountain First Aid Courses in November - Learn how to deal with injuries whilst skiing or hiking in the mountains. Get advice about when and how to call mountain rescue Understand the principles of adult Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and practice delivering this on manikins Practice the safe positioning of an unconscious adult Understand the importance of head, neck and spinal injuries and what to do Practice how to deal with broken bones and sprains  Learn how to recognise and manage hypothermia, frostbite, altitude illness and much more Next dates: Module 1 - 10th November 2011, 18:00 - 21:30 Module 2 - 15th November 2011, 18:00 - 21:30 Both modules must be attended Cost: 180 CHF per person in total Registration: via Health First (please register for both modules) Venue for both seminars and Mountain First Aid course: Rue des Racettes 2, 1213 Onex. This is the Paroisse Saint-Marc building. 11th November  " A Flavour of India" - Evening in Nyon - A celebration of Indian culture, welcome drink, Indian feast, traditional Indian dance and fashion tips. Full details in poster below. See Friends of India  Saturday 12th November  -There will be a fund raising supper at the Salle Communale for the Maison des Enfants in Nyon from 18:00 - 24:00. Apero followed by hot and cold buffet, musicians and dancers, tombola. See site for more details   and registration.

News on Nyon's Ice Rink, Swimming Pool, Drawing Competition for young artists in La Côte newspaper,  Open Day at Geneva English School,  Monday Movie in English in Nyon, Wine and Welsh Cakes evening 1st December,  Living in Nyon is now on air! The outdoor ice rink in Nyon has now opened and will remain so until 1st March 2015 . Opening hours aren Tuesday - Sunday from 08:00 - 18:00  and 09:00 - 18:00 at the weekend.   Note: the rink is also utilised by local schools a nd the ice hockey club, s o some hours are reserved for their use,  so check the chart on the ice rink's own website under "horaires"-  You need to look for the section "Patinage et Hockey libre" which indicates when the rink is open to the public.  The ice rink is situated on the lakeside on Nyon's Rive (not far from the ferry embarkation point).  Skates are available for hire at 5 CHF for adults and 3 CHF for children. The Ice rink and buvette are available for private hire in the evenings. The Ice Rink has a sound system, choose your own music, have a fondue and invite your friends! A minimum of 20 people are required for a private party. More details here. Nyon's outdoor Swimming Pool  to remain a "summer" pool On Monday night, Nyon's council was asked to consider making the outdoor swimming pool a year round facility, by covering over the pool. However the municipality considered the cost to be too excessive considering that there is already a covered swimming pool at Le Rocher in the town, and another indoor swimming pool is planned for the future sports complex and school called le Reposoir    Thanks to La Côte newspaper for the above local news. Don't forget - there is a Living in Nyon English column in the newspaper every Wednesday. It's a light hearted look at living in this part of Switzerland from a British expatriate perspective. You will find it on the inside of the front page. Christmas Drawing competition for children. La Côte newspaper has launched its annual Christmas drawing/ design for children aged between 4 and 12 years old. The five best designs will be published in the newspaper itself from the 24th December onwards and the winners will receive a prize. The deadline is the 28th November  and the winners will be announced on the 11th December. Pick up a copy of La Côte f or more details. Open Day at the Geneva English School There will be an open day at the Geneva English School o n Thursday 2oth November from 09:30 to 12:00. Photo below the "Friendship Stop" bench at the Geneva English School - A place to make new friends! This Open Day is an ideal opportunity to take a look around at the school and see their fabulous new library learning centre. The school provides a British education for International Children.   More details here Monday Movie in English in Nyon The Monday Movie in English at the Capitole Cinema in Nyon on Monday 17th November will be "Serena" starring Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper and Rhys Ifans. Screening at 20:30 See cinema website here   Trailer below. Evening to meet other Anglophones A reminder that there will be a "Wine and Welsh Cakes" evening in the wine cellar of the chateau of Nyon on the 1st December. It's an opportunity to meet other Anglophones , whether you have been here for a few years or just a few weeks!  Registration required - Full details see previous post here Living in Nyon on the air and on FM! The editors and founders of both websites: Living in Nyon and "Know it All Passport" are delighted to announce they will be on the radio once a month on Radio Cité Genève. They will be talking about events, places to go and visit in the Geneva and Vaud region from 12:00 onwards on a show called "12/13" hosted by journalist Gilles Soulhac. The programme will be in French, however if your French is limited, still tune in, it's an ideal opportunity to learn  the language and find out what's going on in the area. Radio Cité Genève is on the internet and on FM and can be heard in la Côte area along the lake side and in your car on  92.2 FM Their next show will be on 8th December 2014

Jazz Concert at the Conservatoire - Friday 5th December The Conservatoire of Nyon will hold their last concert of the 2014 season on Friday 5th December at 20:30 with the Cajón Jazz Trio. The concert will be held at the Villa Thomas along Nyon's lake side.This is a small, intimate concert venue so it's recommended to reserve tickets in advance, either by telephoning 022 994 2360 between the hours of 14:00 and 17:00 emailing info.nyon@cov-vd.ch, or on the night itself from 19:30.  Pre-reserved tickets not collected 15 minutes  before the performance will be put back on sale. Video Below - Cajón Jazz Trio Also on Friday at the Usine a Gaz, local band The Kreeks (indie pop) will be playing at at 21:30. Free entry! Sunday 7th December It's the Christmas market in Nyon on Sunday 7th December from 08:30 to 18:30 Lots of stalls selling Christmas products, Father Christmas too for the children, food and drink!  See website here  - note the website for the Rive area, does not seem up to date as last year's poster is still being shown for this event!  There are clearer details on the Nyon tourist site Christmas Market Coppet Note - there will also be a Christmas market in the château of Coppet beginning Wednesday 3rd until the 7th December. For full details and opening hours see website here  Christmas cookie workshops for children on Wednesday 3rd from 14:00 -16:30, Saturday 6th from 15:00 - 17:00  and Sunday  7th from 13:00 - 15:15. Other workshops too!   See website here Did you know that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart passed though Swiss Romandie in 1766? On Sunday 7th at the Château of Nyon  from 16:00-17:15, there will be a Mozart recital given by Michel Kiener  in the castle followed by an apéritif. Tickets CHF 25  - free entry for under 18 email  info@chateaudenyon.ch  to reserve or call  022 363 8351. More details here

A reminder to all readers of the upcoming Living in Nyon evening with Diccon Bewes.  Diccon recently launched his latest book "Around Switzerland in 80 Maps" at the Houses of Parliament in London. He will then be in Nyon on Tuesday 10th November at 19:30 to present and talk about his book. This is the first that Diccon will be holding in Swiss Romandie. These talks are very popular so reserve your place soon! Full details below. About the book.  A map can be decorative or informative, or both, and can reveal geography or history, or both. In fact, it is the perfect pictorial way to explain and entertain. And this collection is no exception. From the circular Swiss island of 1480 to a vision of a Greater Switzerland with 40 cantons, via the oldest map of Lake Geneva. Image above - Hitz Typography Map of Switzerland  Diccon is also the author of "Swiss Watching" and "Slow Train to Switzerland” ) His talk will be in English and the book (in both English and French editions) will be for sale (cash only) on the evening. Talk from 19:30 to 20:30 Doors open 19:00 at the *Ferme du Manoir in Nyon at the Place du Château. Entry - 15 CHF includes a glass of wine after the event in the cave of the Château de Nyon Reservations required, cash payment to be made on the evening. Email -   info@livinginnyon.com  and write  "80 Maps" in subject headline. Please state the names of all those attending. Image above - Gotthard Bahn Poster *The Ferme du Manoir is very near to the château of Nyon and a short walk to the railway station. Nearby parking at La Duche car park or P lace Perdtemps

When it was announced at the Spring Paléo press conference that Sting would be playing at the festival this year, it was also revealed that the programmers had been waiting many, many years to get him on the line up. Last night, the third night of Paléo, on a hot evening and in front of a packed crowd, Sting gave a superb performance until the early hours of the morning. The wait was worth it. After the first intro song, he then announced (in perfect French) that he was very happy to be here in Nyon, delighting the crowd (and presumably the programmers) and then went on to sing for nearly two hours, a medley of familiar hits: "Message in a Bottle", "Englishman in New York", "De Do, Do Do, De Da, Da ,Da", "Roxanne", and most fittingly "Heavy Cloud, No Rain".  All songs were crowd pleasers and they reacted accordingly, singing and swaying along to the superstar. Caravan Palace Earlier on in the evening there was even more energetic crowd reaction to "Caravan Palace". This group who play a mixture of scat, swing, jazz, and ragga played here two years ago in the Chapiteau tent to great acclaim (reviewed with photos in this post  here! ) and this year they gave an equally fun and frantic performance wowing the crowd dancing under a hot sun and setting the pace for a fun evening.   Hollie Cook Even earlier on in Thursday's programme, Hollie Cook  also got a smaller but appreciative crowd dancing to her band's reggae, dub and ska beat in the Chapiteau tent. It can't be easy performing at 17:45 - a time when many festival goers are just beginning to drift in to the grounds, but she did well, seamlessly drifting from one song to another. Hollie comes with a strong musical pedigree; her father is Paul Cook the the drummer with the Sex Pistols and her mother Jeni used to sing with Culture Club. Evidently growing up with such a musical background has paid off. At times her voice sounded a little like that of Skye Edwards, the former lead singer of Morcheeba but Hollie is her own woman and is one to watch. Photos below: The Paléo atmosphere

Every two years the International Women's Club of  Nyon holds a charity bazaar in the Salle Communale in the centre of Nyon and this year it will take place on Saturday November 6th from 10:00 -16:00. This event is a big money raiser for Nyon, local and International charities. These charities include La Maison des Enfants à Nyon which provides after school care  for children aged 6-12 providing them with a safe place to stay until their parents return home. Many low income families depend on this service and the charity relies on its donations to operate throughout the year. The bazaar itself is a humungous affair and preparation for it begins many months ahead. On the day itself there is lots on offer for the general public.  There are stalls for second hand English books, DVDs CDS, toys, jewellery, brocante, homemade cakes and jams, sport articles, textiles, hats and handbags ,a special Christmas stall with decorations etc . You name it you will probably find it there on Saturday! Come and say hello to a friendly face at the Bazaar There will also be a bistro with sandwiches, salads and quiches on offer,  it's a good opportunity to sit down and have a bite to eat in between all that shopping.  If you are a newly arrived expatriate come and say hello to the ladies behind the stalls and to meet new faces from around the world. You can find out more about the charities the club supports while stocking up on gifts and supplies from all the stalls. Serving food at the Bistro at the last Bazaar Every year there are a raffles  at the bazaar and various items and paintings are offered as prizes, such as this  painting  below of Terre Sainte by Lalita Rochanakorn. Raffle for paintings Or this one by Jackie Boult At the last bazaar there was a stall dedicated to blue and white items, this year it's pink! blue and white items, this year there will be a "pink" stall!

There's a big demand for places in International schools in the Lake Léman area, so for parents that are looking around at the schools available, here is some info on St George's School in Switzerland . It has been in Montreux in Switzerland since 1927. It began as an exclusive all-girls boarding school and now the school has developed into an international co-ed day and boarding school catering for close to 500 students from 45 different countries aged between 3 and 18. The school offers the IB diploma, end of school certificate for US College entry, IGCSE and the opportunity to follow bi-lingual programmes in English and French. The school has just opened a new campus in Neuchatel for students aged 11 to 18. Summer Camp The school also operates a summer school with French and English as a Foreign Language taught in the mornings, and activities and excursions organised such as sailing, mountain climbing archery, walking and horse riding in the afternoon. The summer camp can cater for approximately one hundred boarders and as many day children whether they attend St George’s School during the year or not. See their site for more details.

Torches, Lanterns and Candles in the Plâce du Chateau in Nyon for two very different events. Over the past seven days, the Place du château of Nyon has been at the centre of two events in which the local population took part. The first event on the 6th January was a happy occasion: The Three Kings Parade saw families and children gather outside La Combe shopping centre on Tuesday night to light torches and lanterns and then parade through the old town following the three Kings.They arrived at the castle square and were given a slice of Three Kings cake and a chocolat chaud. The adults warmed up on vin chaud!  The first three photos in this photo essay were taken by Jarek Sikora, a Nyon resident. The second event on Sunday 11th January was a more sobre affair. This was a gathering of residents for a vigil following the Charlie Hebdo shooting in Paris earlier this week. The weather was chilly and the atmosphere subdued. There was a minute's silence in the square, candles were lit and placed on the cobbled square and it was a time to reflect. Photo below: Elia, a young local resident holding a torch at Three Kings Night Photo below: Walking through the old town with torches and to music. Warming up by the fire! A foggy Place du Château Below: The giant Three Kings cake baked by the local bakers and offered to the public by local societies Photos below: Je Suis Charlie Vigil in Nyon on Sunday 11th January. bb bb

Warmer weather has now arrived in Nyon and the Spring newsletter of Living in Nyon is now out. On it there is a round up of what has been featured on the site for the past three months, there is also exciting news about Nyon's cinema!  If you would like to receive this free newsletter, just susbscribe by registering in the box on the right hand side of this site. Living in Nyon on Facebook Did you know that Living in Nyon now has a Facebook page ? Posts from this site are automatically fed to the page so check it out, click the "like" button and join in the discussions on the site. Events coming up  in Nyon The Funambule is a small but intimate theatre space situated next to the Beau Rivage hotel in Nyon. Along with running theatre, singing  and composition workshops for musical and theatrical students (it has its own in house recording studio), the theatre also runs a full programme of  professional shows ranging from theatrical plays, comedies to musical evenings.  See the Funambule's own website for more details.  Comedy in English The next event at the Funambule  in English  on the agenda, is the one man show  "Caveman"   which will be performed on the 16th April at 20:30 and 17th April at 17:00.  You can buy tickets in advance for this production either online or at  the service desk at Migros. There is a bar at the theatre to have a pre dinner drink.   27th March - Journée Proxité - Family day out and a day to discover Nyon   On Sunday 27th March there are lots of activities organised to discover the local farms and the local heritage buildings.  The full programme of the day can be found here   adn more informantion on the Nyon town website here . Glocals have a Nyon group .  Glocals now has a Nyon social group. The group organises activities and social outings to many of the events that are mentioned on this site. Link here to find out more about the group. Note this is not a Living in Nyon group, this group was formed under the umbrella of Glocals. English Reading Group at Crans près Celigny library Next meeting 14th April from 15:15 to 17:00 The group will be discussing  "The space between us"  by Thrity Umrigar. For more info contact Mally Packham 022 7766084 or email mally.packham@bluewin.ch Volunteers Needed ICV Volunteers are needed for the following conference  " Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction ", this is  a volunteer opportunity taking place from 8-13 May 2011.  Volunteers are need  to fulfill the following responsibilities: 57 Volunteers for Welcoming Services Welcome; provide assistance; oversee the setup of session; prepare bags; liaise between staff etc... 16 Reporters, 2 Editors and 2 Photographers   Write, proofread and/or edit session reports; Document conference events. 4 Translators  Translate documents during the event; Languages: Six U.N. languages (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Spanish, Russian). Click here to view more information about this volunteer opportunity. If you are interested in volunteering for this project, please submit your CV to volunteer@icvolunteers.org and, if you haven't already done so, register for ICVolunteers here .

A quick reminder that the documentary film "Cleveland against Wall Street"  will be shown tonight in English at Nyon cinema at 20:00 .  The director of Visions du Réel film festival will be present at the screening and will be speaking to the director Jean Stephan Bron (from Lausanne) about the making of the movie.  The film’s storyline is about the victims of the subprime crisis in the U.S who fight it out with bankers in a court case. This film has been very successful in Switzerland and audiences have turned out in big numbers.  The cinema in Nyon is now linking up with Vision du Réel to show documentaries throughout the year and not just over the festival period. Photo above from yesterday's Naval Parade in Rolle. More photos of the day coming up on this site.