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Not all election intrigue is happening over in the U.S.A right now. Forget John , Sarah, Barack or Joe , over here in Nyon, all eyes are on the result of the votes for Maurice , Daniel , and Jean. Current campaigning will come to a close soon and on Sunday the votes will be cast. Will it be a close call? Will the citizens choose the policies of the man with the beard, the man with the colourful shirts, or the man in the suit? Will there be have to be a second round? Who knows? Thankfully the results won't take too long to come through as voting comes to a stop at midday. Even though this particular Living in Nyon correspondent will be hundreds of miles away, she will try to get the results from the ballot boxes, and possibly some commentary up on this site as soon as she can. As a complete contrast to all things political, this Saturday the 27th it's the "Desalpes" up in St Cergue. This is when the cows are herded down from the mountain for the winter and paraded through the streets of the village. Decorated with flowers and ornaments, they look splendid and provide a perfect photo opportunity for the onlookers. There are lots of other activities that will be going at this the annual tradition and don't forget it's the Autumn fair down in the town too. For full details, see future events on the sidebar. Finally, a date for your diary. On Saturday 4th October at 18:30 the grounds of the Château of Prangins will be lit up by 60,000 candles at the Jardin des Lumieres event. The website has information in English. Volunteers will be rehearsing this weekend to make it a spectacular event, or as it says in the brochure, "un happening lumineux".The reason for the celebration is to mark the 10 years that the Château has been the Swiss National Museum. There are lots of other events going on through the afternoon and the village will be having a party too. Sounds like fun. Let's hope they have good weather. Please note, apart from the election results, there will be no updates on this site for approximately 8 days.

Next Living in Nyon event this Thursday evening A reminder to everyone that there will be another chance for readers to meet up on Thursday November 13th over at Bibliothee. Present on the evening will be the author of the " Know it All Passport" book Lisa Cirieco, and Bernadette Nelissen (the writer behind all the political insights and commentary on this site) Both will be on hand to answer questions. Everyone welcome, whether you are new to Nyon and area or have been here for years. Do pass the message on and invite friends and colleagues to come and join us for a glass of wine at any time between 18:30 and 20:30. If you have any more questions about the evening then email me on cnp@bluewin.ch How to find the tearoom. The Bibliothee website has full directions and a map. T he address is 1, chemin de Crève-Coeur (Ecole Club Migros), 1260 Nyon. It's below La Combe Shopping centre. Walk out of revolving doors at the entrance to the centre, turn right and walk past the sign saying "Bibliothèque de Jeunesse". Carry on further down to the Silhouette sign, here you will see the sign Migros Ecole and BIBLIOTHEE is next to it. Go in through revolving doors turn left past the Migros Ecole reception and voila! Don't forget that Bibliothee is also open throughout the day for coffee, panninis, soup, quiche. Its a non smoking venue and also has a stock of English speaking books available to borrow ! Looking forward to seeing you on Thursday!

Nyon town centre was partially blocked for a short while today when farmers (driving tractors and other agricultural machinery) drove into town. Tractors were parked neatly along Rue Juste Olivier but two of the exit roads near the supermarket and the main entry to the town were blocked. The farmers then gathered in the centre near La Combe shopping centre to hand out leaflets and explain their cause to the public. As it stands, a farmer earns .55 centimes per litre of milk whereas the farmers say they need 1 chf to meet the cost of production. The current rate they are given by the milk purchasers (Migros and Co-op) means the farmers are running milk production at a loss and they need the fair price of 1 chf per litre to survive. The protest went peacefully and although some citizens were suprised to see a "cow" aloft in the street, many seemed sympathetic to their cause and purchased milk from their temporary milk stand.

Victor van Cleeff - Paléo Volunteer When the music lovers have all gone home, or over to the campsite to get some sleep, Paléo carries on right through the night. A festival this big needs to operate 24 hours to run smoothly, and to keep the fans and bands happy. Victor van Cleeff knows all about how Paléo ticks as he has been working as a volunteer at Paléo for the past ten years. This year he will be working on various shifts in the central co-ordination centre. Some of the shifts go through the middle of the night and into the early morning. In between this time he only goes home for a shower and a short sleep. When not volunteering he is listening to bands and meeting friends. "I love it" he says, "Not just for the music but because there is a such a special atmosphere amongst the volunteers, there are 4,000 of us, but each year that we meet up, we still get to see familiar faces." Every additional year that Victor volunteers, his job responsibilty increases. "In previous years I was the one that used to come to the co-ordination centre to ask the questions but now everyone will be coming to me for answers". "The other jobs I have been given have varied over the years, I started off in Security which involved wearing a yellow jacket and being stationed near the campsite. It wasn't too difficult at all as there were never really any problems, so I just chatted to people." Volunteers are allocated a badge according to the area they work in and Victor says; "One year my pass let me in certain areas backstage, so I do have good memories of sharing a few beers and chatting with members of my favourite band " Tryo ". His best memory of Paléo was probably in the third year that he went. "My friends and I had just finished full time education and we were all in party mood, there was a great line up that year with some great French bands performing, which made it perfect." Victor take three weeks away from his current day job (he works for a major insurance company), one week before, during, and after the festival to be a volunteer. Dedication indeed. If you want to be a volunteer yourself then you don't necessarily need to speak fluent French but as Victor says, you will feel a bit more at ease if you have a good understanding of the language. Applications are taken a few months after the current Paléo comes to an end. Along with the daily food allowance, there's free entrance and of course, lots of bonhomie and fun on offer.

Anyone who lives in or visits Nyon, knows that part of its attraction is not only its proximity to the lake, but also the character of the buildings, its old town and streets and of course, the chateau. However, not many people are aware that there is a society called   Pro Novioduno dedicated to preserving the heritage of the city. Membership is open to all, so check the site out. There is a list of activities that the society is involved in with latest news. Living in Nyon caught up with Georges Darrer, current president of Pro Novioduno who explained more about the society. "The name of the society derives from the Celtic name of the town, “new settlement”. The society was founded in 1922 with the purpose of ensuring that property owners and local authorities did not destroy or deface buildings of historical or architectural importance. Over the years Pro Novioduno has had numerous occasions to rise to the defence of the heritage. Alas, it has not been able to avoid some major mistakes, such as the destruction of a landmark building called the “Comète” in the Grand-Rue or the installation of both Manor  and later the “Grand Passage” (now “La Halle”) buildings, which have destroyed the harmony of the streets by introducing clashing styles. Nor have we been able to avoid the construction of a decidedly modern and somewhat tasteless building on the promenade du Jura. Part of the problem lies in the fact that in Switzerland, it is individual buildings that at classified and protected according to a scale of values ranging from 1 (to be preserved absolutely) to 7 (should be destroyed). There is no rule to protect a group of buildings or a whole street except for what each commune can set up as specific area plan (plan de quartier). After many years of failed communications, the society has been able to set up meaningful and open links with the City Planning services and the result of this new collaboration are very encouraging. For example, a study is ongoing to address the issue of grouped classification of streets or lots and we hope that the outcome will be a comprehensive plan to preserve the city centre. While the current situation is encouraging, challenges remain and will continue to be raised simply because of the growing demographic pressure as well as the desires of individual owners to improve, refresh or rebuild their properties. Thus our society needs to remain alert and active. The society has as only means its membership fees and the devotion of its committee members to carry out its tasks. To maintain interest in its activities, local visits to points of interest with access to the builders or architects involved are organised a couple of time a year as well as focused short trips to other cities to view historical or heritage monuments or understand urban planning developments elsewhere. The society has also tried to focus public attention on heritage in large scale operations. In 1958 it organised a big celebration for the 2000th anniversary of the foundation of the Roman colony ‘Colonia Equestris’. In 2003 it organised a celebration of the 200th anniversary of the creation of the canton of Vaud and in 2006 it coordinated the celebrations of the re-opening of the ‘Château’ after extensive restoration. We look forward to the opportunity of organising a celebration for the opening of the site of the Roman amphitheatre, date as yet uncertain! The society has a website: urba-nyon.ch in French but with an integrated Google translator The site features background information about history and planning issues and includes short articles and is open for comments and questions. A printed bulletin (in French) is also published twice a year for its members. The committee is composed of 10 members, some of which are consultative members. All the proceedings are in French, but some members speak English. Georges Darrer is Swiss with a multi-national background. He speaks fluent English and is particularly keen to help integrate local and foreign communities which he sees as a fertile ground for mutual understanding and appreciation.Membership is open to all and very welcome, as are candidates to participate actively in the society. "

Even though there was a bit of a chill in the air and mud on the ground, it didn't stop music lovers from heading off to Caribana last night. Boots and wellies were very much in evidence as were rainjackets (free rain ponchos were made available at the Caribana stand. Photo above  cnp - The crowd last night watching Texas. However the rain held off for most of the evening and Texas received a rapturous applause from the crowd when they appeared on stage.  Also in the crowd on Wednesday were fellow Scots " Kassidy" one of the bands who are due to play tonight. They told Living on Nyon they were amongst the crowd to "soak up the atmosphere" as they wanted to see a bit of the festival for themselves rather than be back stage. Last year they drove all the way from Scotland to Switzerland just to play a 20 minute set on the intimate Scène de la Plage stage. As an appreciation of their herculean efforts last year, Caribana has invited them back to play on the bigger Scène du Lac stage in 2011. They will be playing tonight and have promised a great "rocking" session. Photo above  cnp - Three members of Kassidy in the crowd On the main stage last night Texas lead singer Sharleen Spitieri worked her way though some old favourites "Once in lifetime" and others, and she also introduced a new song "Conversation" (the first time the song has been performed in public other than in her home town of Glasgow!) . Photo above - courtesy Caribana Tonight's line up includes Wolfmother, Interpol, Hurts, Kassidy and more. See programme for Thursday here

Wine and Welsh Cakes Evening! The next Living in Nyon Event will be a "Wine and Welsh Cakes" evening on Monday 1 st December in Nyon from 19:00 - 21:30 The event will be held in the atmospheric caveau (cellar) of Nyon’s lovely old chateau. All nationalities welcome, and whether you have lived here for years, or are new to the area, this event is an ideal opportunity to mingle and meet other Anglophones. Taste some savoury Welsh cakes cooked on the spot by local Welsh resident Sian Dureau.  More details of this event to follow, mark the date down in your diaries. Reservations required please by emailing Sian sdureau@sunrise.ch Entrance fee - CHF 15 per person or 25 CHF per couple includes 2 Welsh cakes and a glass of wine. More wine (and cakes!) will be available to purchase on the night Parking in Place Perdtemps car park nearby, Nyon railway station just a short walk away.

The Conservatoire of Nyon (the prestigious music school situated by the lake side) is holding a summer school this year for both children and adults on the 11th-16th August from 14:00 to 18:00. Several of the teachers at this school speak English.  See site for full details or contact  Marie-Hélène Piotet: marieh.piotet@hispeed.ch Tel: 079 579 73 45  Montreux Jazz festival starts today! Check out the programme here. Although many concerts are sold out, don't forget there are jazz trains, jazz and blues boats and salsa boats that are part of this festival. They are a fun way to see the area while experiencing great music. See photos of the salsa boat and jazz train from a previous article on the festival here Local News From July, Nyon police will have a mobile police van situated in the centre of town as part of various measures implemented by the council to help prevent crime and tackle the recent wave of  incivilities in the area. Video surveillance cameras are also planned to be installed in the town in 2013. Swiss swimming competition this weekend This weekend beginning today Friday, the Swiss national swimming championship takes place in Nyon at the Colovray swimming pool . There's also a full programme of events to coincide with the centenary anniversary of the Le Cercle des Nageurs de Nyon (the Circle of  Swimmers of Nyon).  The finals of the championships will be on Friday and Saturday at 16:00, and Sunday at 16:00

In 2010 we published a  post on skiing options near Nyon and in resorts further afield. Here is a new article written by a reader who is also a keen skier. He writes about some of the smaller resorts that are about a two hours drive from Nyon, resorts that are less well known than the “big name” ski resorts but are definitely worth considering if you are looking for new slopes to explore! Photo above -Copyright  "Val d’Anniviers" Shorter Lift Queues and Rural Charm The Valais has a variety of small villages with intriguing ski slopes which when viewed collectively provide a real alternative to the larger resorts such as Verbier, Flaine, Villars, Les Portes du Soleil or Saas Fee. Whilst these smaller resorts may not justify the drive from the Nyon area for a day trip, they do make a real alternative for a weekend’s skiing and they can easily be combined to make a week’s ski holiday whilst enjoying much the rural charm, good snow conditions and smaller lift queues. Less well known than the well known “big name” ski resorts, here are two valleys that you may wish to consider. Val d'Anniviers The first alternative is the Val d’Anniviers , a valley which is accessed from Sierre. There are a variety of resorts - Grimentz, Zinal, St Luc, Chandolin and Vercorin covering both sides of the valley and providing over 200 kilometres of slopes. These villages are all about 2 hour’s drive from Nyon. Photo above - Copyright "Val d’Anniviers" St Luc and Chandolin are on the eastern side of the Val d’Anniviers and are linked together, whilst Grimentz and Zinal, on the western side of the valley are connected by a cable car allowing these two distinct resorts to be easily skied in one day (or enjoyed separately). Vercorin is set apart and faces north overlooking Crans Montana. With slopes that face east, west and north, and reaching almost 3000m, snow conditions in these resorts remain good well into March. The scenery is spectacular too with views of the Weisshorn, Dent Blanche and glimpses of the Matterhorn (though from an unfamiliar angle). Photo above -Copyright "Val d’Anniviers" The villages are pretty and offer a good range of accommodation from chalet rentals to a four star boutique hotel and the famous Weisshorn hotel situated in an isolated position at over 2300m. The skiing is varied too. Grimentz has a range of long blue and red slopes, whilst Zinal will appeal more to those who like steeper gradients (whilst at the same time catering to those preferring easier slopes). St Luc and Chandolin are a topographical delight with undulating wide open slopes and vistas allowing a ski-safari up and down the valley. Any of the villages would make good bases, though of course if you wish to ski “the other side of the valley” a short car ride is necessary. Lift tickets are quite a bit cheaper than the larger resorts. Piste map above - Copyright  "Val d’Anniviers" Val d' Herens  The second option is the Val d’Hérens , a village accessed from Sion and an hour and three quarters from Nyon. The villages here with ski slopes are Evolène, Arolla, Nax (Mont Noble), La Forclaz, and Thyon 2000 (which links to the 4 Valleys resort). The 4 Valleys resorts have 400km of skiing whilst the rest of the villages in the Val d’Hérens collectively have 130km of slopes. Here the skiing is far more informal and low key. These are essentially village slopes, with 4 or 5 lifts but offering great a variety of skiing, spectacular views and charming small buvettes where you can get a drink and simple (mountain) food. Lift prices are even lower than the Val d’Anniviers. These resorts have different styles. Evolène is a pretty village that keeps mountain customs alive, and acts as a good base. The ski slopes face east and provide great views onto the Dent Blanche. Arolla is the starting off point for mountaineers and many of the users of the ski-lifts are getting a head start for ski-touring to nearby peaks. There are only a few lifts though there are long open slopes, no queues and you are in the middle of some wild country. As you ski the groomed pistes its possible to watch off-piste skiers coming down glaciers and pristine vertiginous slopes. This is Switzerland though, so there is of course a buvette at close to 3000m to enjoy the sun and the view! If you want a blast, then head off to Thyon 2000 which has more than enough skiing for days on end.

Between the 13th and 17th century, galley ships sailed around Lake Geneva. These beautiful boats owned by the Dukes and Counts of the time, glided through the water and were used to protect the land and lake. Today you don’t have to be a member of the aristocracy to step on board one of these ships as one of them, La Liberté has been lovingly recreated as a galley ship of the past and passengers can sail on it during the summer from its home in Morges. Help for the unemployed The building of La Liberté was part of an enterprising project thought up by Jean-Pierre Hirt, a local union boss in Morges. Back in 1995 there was a high level of unemployment in the Morges area, and for those who were coming to the end of their unemployment entitlement with no job in site, prospects were not good. So Mr Hirt came up with the idea of creating a replica of a galley ship and then offering the unemployed a chance to help build a new ship based on original designs. The project went ahead, it took aprroximately six years to build, and between 1995-2001 over 650 unemployed worked on the ship and helped to create La Liberté which now at 55 metres in length, is the largest sailing galley on European lakes. Wine tasting trips, Sunset trips, Cruising to watch the August 1st Fireworks Captain Ralph Tittel and his crew now take passengers every weekend for two and a half hour trips on the lake. During the year when the boat is on the water special events are also organized. The Captain ( who speaks perfect English) talking to a crew member on board. One of the cruises is a wine tasting trip; on board a wine expert offers passengers a taste of different wines from the Lavaux vineyards that cling to the lake side. This is perfectly timed so the boat will be sail past the appropriate vineyard as the wine is being tasted. This trip was very popular this year and is scheduled on the agenda for 2010. The ship also takes private groups of up to 120 passengers for different events such as birthday celebrations or company trips. In June a special “pirates” day was organised for the public with families and children being offered the chance to hoist a flag and swashbuckle and sail à la Johnny Depp. In September the boat will go into dry dock for maintenance (the boat normally continues sailing through to October) but it will be back again next year and the team have other exciting plans for the future. Before this though, there is still chance to sail on it over the summer months. A special trip is planned to watch the 14th July French Fireworks over in Evian and also to watch the Swiss National day fireworks on August 1st (the boat leaves that day from the eastern end of the lake near Montreux/Bouveret details to be confirmed). Or you can just go for a weekend sail on your own or with a group leaving from Morges. Food can be provided for groups (by pre reserving) or there are sausages cooked on board for individual passengers. The website is called La Galere check it out for further details. Saturday sunset cruises begin at 19:30 and finish at 21:45 Sunday cruises leave at 12:30 and finish at 14:45. On board with Morges in the background Happy Sailing! A birthday party on board.

New  Head of Programmes for Nyon Capitole cinema - "Monday English Movie Night"  returns to the town Nyon Cinema   has a new head of  programmes - Mr Patrick Dentan. Photo above: Patrick Dentan in the seat of David Lynch! All the seats in the Aubonne cinema have been named after a famous name in the film world. Mr Dentan is also responsible for the programming of films  at the Rex cinema in Aubonne . If you haven't been to the Aubonne cinema before, it's definitely worth a visit, many films are shown in English and there is an interesting choice of films on offer, from blockbusters  to documentaries to films from around the world. This 125 seat cinema was renovated  in 2011 and many of its original features have been retained, the cinema is in the heart of the old town, there is even a restaurant next door to partake in a pre-cinema  meal or drink! Photo above: The original wallpaper design and lights have been kept in the cinema. The town and the members of the public supported the renovation and created a real community spirit behind it, the town even has its own ciné club.. Photos above - Behind the scenes of the cinema  Storage for old cinema reels - Storage for digital films today in a box no bigger  than a magazine! Patrick Dentan - Cinephile Patrick Dentan is a true cinephile and has worked within the  cinema industry for many years. He is also responsible for programming at the cinemas in Bex and  Châtel- St Denis. He is also a film critic for  Rouge FM radio  and Rouge TV.  His plans for Nyon cinema include holding special events and evenings at the cinema and he has reinstigated the return of the "Monday English Movie Night". The Capitole cinema has two screening rooms, the Leone can seat 219  and is equipped to show 2D, 3D and 35 mm films. The Fellini room  seats 89. Mr Dentan told Living in Nyon  that it's not just the anglophones who like to see  movies in English, the Swiss too prefer to see films in their original language. Mr Dentan is also keen to encourage  the young public to all the cinemas as he says  "they are the cinema going public of the future".   Watch this space for more news on Nyon cinema in the next few months. Summer Outdoor Cinema in  Nyon, Rolle and Gland The weather has finally warmed up in the Nyon region which is perfect for the start of the open air summer cinema season which begins tonight 2nd July in Rolle. This temporary outdoor cinema will be located in the idyllic setting  of the Place du Château in Rolle and the season begins with the screening of the film "Le Grand Méchant Loup" to be shown at 21:30.  The summer programme in Rolle continues right up until the 21st July with a wide variety of programming. Some films will be shown in English in V.O (version originale) Films for the following seven days in Rolle are -  Wednesday 3rd July, "The Life of Pi" (in French), Thursday 4th "Moi, Moche at Mechant 2" (in French), a comedy animation for all the family, Friday 5th  "Les Profs", the very successful  French hit comedy, Saturday 6th "Man of Steel" (in English) Sunday 7th "Demi- Soeur", (in French)   Monday 8th, "The Great Gatsby" in English, on Tuesday 9th July there will be a special viewing of the Rigoletto opera by Verdi transmitted live from the Euro Mediterraneo Festival of Taormina!    See here for full Rolle programme  See here for ticket info The outdoor cinema then moves onto Nyon on the 30 July   see here for full Nyon programme Note: Date for your diary - On the 1st  August ( Swiss National Day) there will be the screening of the film "Some Girls"   a live concert film by "The Rolling Stones" which was filmed  during their US tour of 1978  at the Will Rogers Auditorium in Fort Worth, Texas. Note you can buy tickets at the cinema itself on the night or in advance online at Cineair.ch You can also buy tickets at Rolle Tourism office  (cash only) and in Nyon at the Ticket office in Migros in La Combe shopping centre Open air cinema in Gland!  The town of Gland will also have an open air cinema from the 17th to the 20th July  in the courtyard of the collège des Perrerets in Chemin de la Perroude 1 in Gland. See programme here  Photo below: Outdoor cinema in Nyon in 2012

Trish Thalman reviews the "Le Prince et Son Image"  directed by Hugues Le Paige. This was shown at Visions du Réel at the weekend. If you missed any of these films that are being reviewed, all is not lost, quite often they are shown again either on television or at the cinema later on in the year and Living in Nyon will alert readers in advance if this should happen. “One is only alone when facing death”- These are the words of Francois Mitterand after the Socialists lost the 1993 Legislative Election. Mitterand’s power was in decline, and he was ill (though only a few knew of his illness). From 1987 until 1993, Hugues Le Paige, was one of the few journalists allowed into Mitterand’s, ‘Inner Circle’ of journalists and photographers who had exclusive access to him, based on the quality of their work and earned trust of the President. This insightful film is a collection of poignant, intimate, at times lively, open and warm, but mostly serious, clips of quality and importance from La Paige’s personal library of film and interviews he made with Mitterand during the waning years of his Presidency. The film opens with a large, summer garden party at the Elysée Palace, circa 1981, with Mitterand the center of attention, his favourite spot. Everything is going the way he planned it, with his coterie of journalists and photographers following along. What we learn at the very beginning is that Mitterand, with his power and responsibilities, spent a great amount of time and energy controlling his own image with everyone for everyone.  For Le Paige, the major dilemma after being told personally by Mitterand (the exact moment is shown in the film) that he would be one of the favoured journalists in the ‘Inner-Circle’, was “how could I tell the truth and keep my freedom”. Mitterand stages a spontaneous, ‘ordinary man’ outing, as part of the image. He walks alone, unnoticed on the streets of Paris, and ‘pops in’ to a local bookstore that is selling his recently published book of letters, which he proclaimed that he had “not seen”. In fact, he co-edited and controlled every word that went into the book. Le Paige gets a hurried call to come along and film Mitterand’s sortie into the public realm. The bookstore owner recognises him and shakes his hand. Nobody else looks at him. The sequence is filmed from outside the bookstore, looking into the shop through golden-lit windows. He appears to be any other customer in his flat-cap and elegant camelhair coat looking at a book about Francois Mitterand. A traditional ‘staged’ and filmed event that Mitterand would do every year was to walk up to the summit of a high hill in the Burgundy region along with his ‘chosen’ guests. Mitterand jokes around and also makes comments contrary to most things that the others say. They remain silent. He wears perfectly pressed, egg/shell white corduroy trousers and polished hiking boots, and berates a couple of others for wearing tennis shoes for hiking. The setting, his outfit and ‘designed casualness’ is there for all to see. At the end of the film we see Mitterand saying ‘goodbye and thank you’ to his loyal party members after the ’93 election loss. Hugues is again asked to shoot from the hallway into the room (door open) where Mitterand is meeting with his people. He is strategically standing near the window with natural backlighting, while he is shaking hands and chatting to colleagues, along with a younger Bernard Kouchner and Segoline Royale. The grainy, telephoto shots give a lasting impression of the loneliness and fading power of the man, politically and physically, still in the belief that he is in control, at least of his image.