It's a busy time in Nyon this weekend and there is a lot going on in and around the area.  In addition to the Easter family events and Open House at the Ecole Moser (see previous two posts - click here and here ), the Zoo La Garenne will also reopen to the public (see video below). It's also Anti Racism week in Nyon  and to mark the week, on Friday 18th March, there will be a performance by the "Divadevas" (musical event) at the Salle Communale at 19:00 a vernissage with apéritif for the launch of a photo exhibition entitled "Portraits of The Portugese Women of Nyon - Beyond the Clichés" On Saturday the 19th there will be a multicultural apéritif, food, music and story telling which will take place outside the La Combe shopping centre from 10:30. The photo exhibition will then be on display from the 29th March at the  Migros Portes de Nyon (the big supermarket at the top of the town) and it will remain there until the 9th April. Meanwhile over in Divonne this weekend, there will be a Creators Market with hand crafted products, food, flowers, designer clothing, jewellery, homewares and original gifts. This will take place at the L'Esplanade du Lac. There will be children's activities and a café area serving cream teas. On Sunday there will be a visit from Spiderman and a Princess from "Once Upon a Time Parties". On both days there will be a "Fashion Walk" organised by Anila of ShenAnnz at 14:00 featuring items available at the Market. More details here

Still above from the film "Northern Light" set in remote Michigan  in the U.S - photo courtesy Visions du Réel. The signs have been erected around the town for the upcoming Visions du Réel film festival and shops have decorated their windows in red as part of this year's "See the town in Red" festival slogan.  This festival is one of the major documentary film events in Switzerland and attracts big audiences and film professionals from around the world. However this festival is very much open to the public and this year, as in previous years, Living in Nyon's writer's will being reviewing films on this site to help guide readers through the vast choice of films on offer. Look out for the handy programme which has been distributed across the town and can be picked up at the festival.  See Visions du Réel for details of all films, maps of venues, ticket info etc Still above from  the film Northern Light - photo courtesy Visions du Réel Note:  All films at the festival are subtitled in English or translated into English or are in English in their original version. Films vary in length from longer full length documentaries made by well known film makers, to  first films made by young documentary film makers just out of film school.  There are often discussions and debates held on site with the film maker after the screening of films, these can often be very interesting and just as interesting as the film itself! Living in Nyon spoke to Luciano Barisone, the festival director to find out about some of the films that are on the programme agenda this year. For those interested in environmental issues, the film " The Expedition to the End of the World" on T hursday 18th April is a "must see" film. See explanation here  -  "A journey outside the comfort zone of the Western Civilization. A group of people heads for the rapidly melting ice massifs in North-East Greenland. Geologists, artists, sailors and scientists face the daily problems of an outstanding challenge. The film manages to capture the breathtaking beauty of the world while asking us what we are willing to do in order to save it".   See trailer below.   Note: This film is a free screening  and begins at 19:00 at the Théâtre de Marens. See map here.   It will be followed by refreshments served offered by the town of Nyon. It is anticipated that there will be a big demand for this film so get there early to get a seat!   There will be a second screening on Friday 19th at 14:00 at the Capitole 1 at the cinema in central Nyon. Film - Northern Light  - " In a remote corner of Michigan, in the north-eastern United States, work is hard to find. The men cling to their passion for racing snowmobiles or cars; the women are housewives, cheerleaders or… bodybuilders. Over the seasons, an intimate fresco of the American middle class emerges through an impressionist portrait of three families. A great fly-on-the-wall documentary with epic qualities".   Screening on  Sunday 21st April at 21:30  at the Salle Communale  and on Monday 22nd at the Capitole 1 at 10:15 . Link to purchasing  tickets online here   See trailer below Film - The Laundry Room  "A static journey of discovery into a rarely seen world inside Switzerland: the world of the socially excluded people. It is a rather black comedy set inside the laundry room of a Lausanne apartment block. The foundations of society itself are sketched out or perceived in this microcosm where dirty laundry is almost aired in public". Saturday 20th April at 14:00 at the  Salle Communale  and Sunday at the Capitole 1 at 19:30  This film will be subtitled in English. Link to purchasing tickets here Film -  10% The film "10%"  asks the question "What makes a hero? What type of individual maintains the integrity to fight for what is just under any circumstances? What compels someone to jump into a river, risking his own life to save a stranger? Why, during World War II, did some Germans put themselves at risk in order to save Jews? 10% attempts to penetrate and understand the very makeup of the human soul". Although this film tackles an important subject this we film maker Yoav Shamalso includes comedic touches to the film. This film will be show on Saturday 20th at 16:30 at the Salle Communale and Sunday at the Capitole 1 at 12:15. More information  and link to purchasing tickets online here See trailer below - More suggestions for films coming up here soon.

As part of Nyon's new energy saving scheme, “Nyon-Energie”, the town council is reaching out to locals to help them reduce the energy they use. Conscious of how complicated some of these issues can be, the town is organising a campaign to raise public awareness called “Eco-Contact”. “Energy Ambassadors” will make home visits to those Nyon residents who accept the offer in order to give them a few handy tips on how to start saving energy. They will be proposing a series of simple and effective measures which should not interfere with comfort. They will change your old light-bulbs, install power strips and even give you a new electric kettle! And all of this for free, with no hidden commercial catches. Are you interested? Then sign up before the 31 st of January by sending an email to gaelle.keim@nyon.ch or by calling this number: 022 363 82 04 (Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) If you sign up via email, give your phone number and state when you can be reached to fix a date and time for the visit. The “energy ambassadors” will be making their visits between 25 th of February and 9 th March, Monday to Saturday, from 9:00 to 12:30 and from 14:00 to 19:00. Count about an hour for the visit. On top of all the useful tips and information leaflets, you will also get to keep various freebies (ecological light-bulbs, power strips, electric kettle and more). This offer is free and directed at all home owners and tenants living in the town of Nyon.

"There is so much going on here in Prangins," says Maureen Goodman", a member of Prangins International. "The village has a surprising number of events and activities scheduled throughout the year, from dance classes to sports and theatre groups, to its own choir, there’s a lot to chose from". Prangins International meets the first Thursday of every month in the Café Des Alpes in the centre of the village, and members get together not just for English conversation, but to exchange information about what’s going on in the village and area. Maureen is keen to stress that the group "isn’t just a clique of Anglophones: it’s for anyone living in the village who wishes to converse in English. Some people come to keep up with their spoken English which may not be their first language, or to meet new people – we have had many different nationalities. Some come to find a sympathetic teacher of French; some are newcomers to the area, and all are most welcome". The day I met the group, there was a new member who had arrived in Switzerland just three days before. Michelle Riley (from Philadelphia in the U.S ) found out about Prangins International via the notice board in the village centre. Despite still being in the process of unpacking boxes, she went along to their monthly meeting and came away with a whole list of recommended addresses of doctors, schools, etc, all info gleaned from the combined knowledge and experience of the group. The village itself provides a quality of life that members of the group appreciate. Mary Wynn has been living in Prangins for many years, is a keen walker so has got to know the area well and says;"There is some stunning countryside surrounding this village, there are two local beaches down by the lake, and of course there is the chateau which is fabulous". "Prangins itself has all the services such as a pharmacy, baker, a local shop, tea room, a chocolate shop, a post office (and even an aerodrome for light aircraft!) You don’t need to go into Nyon every day for the basics, but of course the town is on the doorstep should you need it, so you aren’t isolated." Kathy Carp also part of the group, lives in Mélèzes which is part of Prangins commune and says: "Mélèzes is like a village within a village and it has its own activities, 200 people turned up to this year’s summer barbecue". Barbara Güner who started Prangins International three years ago, is the driving force behind it all and also one of the founder members of the online Gazette de Prangins. Here, villagers can log onto to find out about current events, news, and place “petite anonces”. She says "The idea of Prangins International is a networking group who live in the same village, and it gives support to people who live in a foreign country (ie Switzerland) without their families" The village itself is gearing itself up for a massive celebration this Saturday the 4th October. The Swiss National Museum in the Chateau will be celebrating its 10th year with a whole host of events planned (see post below). The castle will be lit up at night by candles by a team of volunteers. If you are thinking of moving to Prangins and want to know more about the group then take a look at the gazette for contact details. The village has its own official website too. Prangins has 3,839 residents. If you live there you are called a Pranginois. The village is about a 15 minute walk from Nyon. The train no longer stops in Prangins, but it is on a bus route.

Amongst the many questions we get here on Living in Nyon, two of the most frequent (after housing and schooling!) are, how can I meet other expatriates and Swiss people in the Nyon area, and where can I learn French ?  From time to time, Living in Nyon organises events for its readers to meet each other (photo above taken from Living in Nyon "Swiss Politics"  talk), but in between those times there is an alternative possibility and that is the organisation called Le Café Vivant.  Le Cafe Vivant operates in French and English in the Arc Lémanique (Geneva to Lausanne) and offers a "social and cultural integration experience" for expats within French speaking Switzerland. They create links and meetings between locals and internationals, Anglophones and Francophones.  Running  fun  "welcome and an introduction to Switzerland" events, they help Anglophones to immerse themselves into the local language through cultural and society workshops. French language programmes such as “Play Français – Sing Français – Cook Français – Dance Français” are designed to "stimulate all the senses" through sharing and interacting. They also help in integration and in understanding local cultural issues and daily life situations.  Le Café Vivant is run by Concetta Avolio, she has experienced immigration and expatriation herself and has also worked in  corporate and event management.  See the site for more information.  Le Café Vivant has various workshops coming up in November and December and next year, click on the link to the pdf files for more details. “A Gospel Experience for You “– Anglophones & Francophones – November 2010. This workshop is for  Anglophones and Francophones and will be on  Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st November. For further  information see this pdf file Other workshops coming up in November in December are “Play, Sing, Cook, Dance Français”  see pdf file here   and also a Mamma  Mia musical  workshop (note: this is in Geneva) from January to March  see pdf file

It is the final day of the Visions du Réel festival today, the closing ceremony will be this evening and prizes will be awarded to the winning films in the different categories of the festival. If you haven't had the chance to see any films over the festival period, five of the winning films will be shown tomorrow, Saturday 25th April from 10:30 until 20:00 at the Salle Communale in Nyon. See here. Meanwhile, away from the festival, other week-end activities include music by local band The Exiles at the Artist's Pub in Versoix, Cabaret (in English)  in Carouge, performed by the Geneva Amateur Operatic Society, and on Sunday 26th it's the monthly flea market along the lake side in Nyon. Back to Visions du Réel -   Films are still being screened today across the festival venues, including the film "Austin to Boston"  by James Marcus Haney at the Théâtre de Grand Champ in Gland at 17:30 This film features four groups, mainly British, who criss cross America from Texas to Massachusetts in old Volkswagen camper vans. This film was first shown last night at the Théàtre de Marens in Nyon. Coming on the back of the previously screened, mammoth five and a half hour film "Homeland" (Iraq Year Zero) by Abbas Fahdel, "Austin to Boston" must have come as a light relief for film goers. If you like the music of The Staves, Ben Howard, Nathaniel Rateliffe, Bear's Den and Gill Landry, (also featuring Ben Lovett from Mumford and Sons), then you will like this film.  Aside from that, the film is simply a light hearted romp, full of seemingly endless high fives and endless hugs between band members and plenty of mumbling while singing (apart from The Staves who are the only ones who sing clearly and enunciate).  As the vans move around from State to State we get to see the country in different landscapes and in different weathers, and band members either in contemplative or party mood. Unfortunately the viewer is left feeling that they are not part of the party themselves and this is simply one big self promotional tool for the bands, it is one of many road movies out there, but in this one you don't really discover anything new about the areas they travel to. The issue of gun ownership in the U.S.A is briefly addressed, but only briefly. Still, there are some lovely musical moments in the film, and if you like the bands featured, then watching the film tonight might not be a bad way to end a working week.

If you have arrived at Nyon station recently or walked through the railway underpass, you will have noticed big noticeboards with smiling faces on them, all welcoming you to the town. These are local citizens taking part in different activities. There are adults rowing and cycling, children playing by the lake or skiing, and local folk in many other situations. This is part of the Nyon Tourist Office's campaign to show the sheer diversity of events, sports and facilities that are available in the town and area for its locals, and for the tourists, and of course to provide a warm welcome in different languages to those passengers who have just arrived from the train. To those of us who live here we know how much goes on in the town thoughout the year and appreciate this richness. Your truly was on the radio on Swisster's new English Radio programme on Radiocité on Saturday morning, talking about Nyon's diversity and about the new outdoor skating rink. You can listen to the interview on here from 13th December's Sat show, it comes in after 27 minutes of the programme just after Sheryl Crow's song, "All I want to do is have some fun", which is an nice link as Nyon is a town where you can indeed, have lots of fun. Despite the night's drawing in now and the end of the year coming up,there is still lot's going on with carol concerts and music events around the whole area. English speaking services over the Christmas period are listed on the sidebar at the right. Tonight and on the 22nd December it's the "nocturnes" the late night shopping in the town until 22:00

Photo above: Overlooking Nyon, taken from the top of the High School Events -Music  There is a "Louis Armstrong" night down at the 1306 club tonight the 18th Feb  Ruelle de La Poterne. Free entry (hat passed round for artists).  See website  for more details. Over at La Parenthèse  (Grand Rue in Nyon )the French/ Danish duo " Twice" will be performing at 22:00. Events -Theatre Sat February 19th at 20:00 in Morges  at the Café Théâtre Casino. "Caveman", a one man comedy show in English see site for more details Other news : La Côte newspaper  reported last week that the Cinema in Nyon was due to close, but it has been announced today that is now under new management and will open tomorrow Saturday 19th Feb. Don't forget to check out the English column in La Côte newspaper each Friday. It can found on the  front inside page called Forum next to the Readers' letters.  Friday's edition is also their weekend edition and is often on sale also on Saturdays. La Côte carries a full listing of films showing in the region in Geneva and Lausanne and also over in Divonne. Photo: Interior courtyard of Nyon high school. Helping your French with Nyon TV. Did you know that Nyon has its own TV station called NRTV ? It has a Mon-Fri news bulletin called "Vues sur  L' Actu" which is broadcast at 18:00 with local news and interviews. If you miss a broadcast you can watch it again on the website. The station broadcasts other  progammes such as "Art O' Baz "which is an art based programme and features interviews with artists, sculptors, directors of theatrical events etc.  The programme "Ma boite a utils" (my work box) goes behind the scenes of local businesses and shops.  "La caméra en balade" takes the camera out and about to local areas (there is no commentary). Check it out as you never know whether your village (or you) will be in one of the shots! Learning French? If you are learning French, then one thing that may help you is to watch short clips of interviews on the programme called "Texto", to hear French as it is spoken here. "Texto" is where members of the public (walking by in the street), are interviewed by the station's roving reporter on local and international issues. From WEF to personal shopping habits! On "Texto" of the 28 January, the question was, "What do you think of the recent World Economic Forum in Davos?" you can see it here    Listen to the replies from a postman to a mother, to passers by. On the 21st January  local individuals were asked about the recent events happening in Tunisia. On the 4th February the interviewer asked members of the public if they knew what the "Superbowl" was, and back in December they were asked about their online shopping habits and in another, they were  asked  if they make ever make impulsive purchases when out and about in the shops! The beauty of this little programme (and the others on the station), is that you can replay the interviews again all online, so you can then listen to any words or phrases that you missed the first time and then ask your French teacher about them later ,or check them out in the dictionary!

Caribana (the summer music festival down by the lake in Crans sur Celigny) have announced that Keziah Jones will play as part of the line up on Saturday 9th June 2012.   Caribana will also be opening a permanent festival office in Nyon on the 2oth December and they invites music lovers to visit the office that evening during the late shopping night.  It's an opportunity to have a glass of vin chaud and meet the designer of the 2012 Cariban poster,  buy a Christmas ticket "abonnement" or Caribana merchandise. There will be a DJ present that night to liven up the event!  See here for full details Other news: Mama Rosin  ( a band often mention on this site-  they have featured on the BBC's "Later with Jules Holland" ) will be playing in Nyon's old town at La Parenthèse  tonight 8th December at 21:30.  They promise a fun night of zydeco, cajun, blues, rock etc. L a Parenthese is an underground venue Grand Rue 22 bis in Nyon.

Photo above  from Glückspilze  - courtesy Visions du Réel Glückspilze   -  by Verena Endtner Film reviewed by Suzy Nelson-Pollard, a student of International Relations at the University of Geneva There are approximately 8,500 children living on the streets of St Petersburg. Many ran from domestic situations of drug abuse and violence, some are picked up by the police and taken to institutions, but most roam for years, surviving on charity clothes and soup kitchens, living in squalor and dodging prostitution. As young Nastya comments, “the first time that you are on the street, where do you go? You have four directions that you can take, it is very daunting”. The Swiss film “Glückspilze” was shown in Nyon on Monday and Tuesday of the festival Vision du Réel under the section “Helvétiques”. This extremely touching documentary does justice to its wonderful protagonists: four children affiliated to the innovative children’s Upsula Circus based in St Petersburg. Every three years the circus performs in the streets and orphanages of the city, hoping to encourage children to join and have the opportunity to escape from the daily grind of the streets and their traumas. Photo above Photo above  from Glückspilze  - courtesy Visions du Réel The star of the film is Danja, a six-year-old boy living in a temporary children’s home, the youngest of the Upsula performers. With a sick mother, a father in prison and a family history of drug abuse, he is a brilliant, mischievous little devil, intelligent and funny, with a clear passion for performing. The opening scene shows him stealing sweets from the children’s home and declaring that when he grows up he would like to be president of the universe, or even better, director of the Upsula circus. Mischa is an older student in his early twenties, who ran away from home as a child and fended for himself on the street. Upon joining the circus he was asked to describe his dreams: “to find enough bottles to make some money to buy glue and cheap vodka”. Ten years later he works as a trainer and mentor for the younger performers. Larissa, the director of the circus, calls him a real “lucky devil” (Glückspilze), and is clearly proud of the expansion of his dreams. Igor is not an orphan, but his mother struggles to look after her other children in a small apartment, and deal with Igor’s behaviour problems. She explains that her ex dropped Igor on the head and was violent towards him. Igor has problems making friends at the circus, behaving and concentrating, but displays caring tenderness towards his younger siblings who visibly adore him. The fourth child, Nastya constantly has to flee offers of prostitution, escapes daily life by sniffing glue, and has a tormented relationship with her mother, who will not accept her back home. She invites the camera to a basement where she lives with other homeless people, a dark dingy hazard of a hole that barely gives her basic protection from the street. Photo above  from Glückspilze  - courtesy Visions du Réel The film shows scenes of the daily life of the children whether on the street, at home or in institutions, but also of rehearsals and performances. Dance, acrobatics, costumes, make-up, acting and magic brighten up the children’s lives. Scenes are shown of a masterclass by a famous clown, an exciting trip to perform in Switzerland, and many shows in Russia. Mischa starts teaching in a local reformatory prison for young boys and Danja’s constant vibrant excitement lighten up rehearsals. Scenes like these are pearls of hope in the bleak Russian winter. As hard as "crystal, or diamond" Joyful as these circus opportunities are, reality is often impossible to escape from. Igor turns up at rehearsal with bites and bruises all over his arms, marks of domestic abuse, and can no longer concentrate for rehearsals. When Danja’s mother dies, he throws his head back so that tears won’t fall down his cheeks. He also refuses to learn how to fake slap or stage fight, and says its only because there is enough of that in real life. Nastya announces that she is pregnant, and that the father is a policeman who arrested her but that realised that she was a “good girl”. She assures the filmmaker that he will look after her, even though he is married, this love is the real kind. The film follows the children through their paths at the circus, but also in their private lives with custody, family life and survival. One of the dance teachers comments that a child like Danja would have been brutal on the street, but brilliant in the circus, as his personality has two sides, one kind and sweet, and the other hard as stone, “or crystal, or diamond” he says, with a twinkle in his eye. At a time when the subject of Russian adoptions are currently in the international diplomatic news, this film is beautiful, funny and extremely moving. Although it will not be shown again this week, I sincerely hope that Glückspilze will get the recognition it deserves from the festival judges.

There's a double ticket up for grabs for a VIP cocktail cruise on the 3rd September as part of the Le Livre sur les Quais literary festival which begins on the 2nd September and takes place along the lakeside in Morges. Living in Nyon has teamed up with  Know-it-all passport for a joint competition to offer two tickets for one lucky reader.  The winner will have the opportunity to meet two talented female musicians and authors: Brigitte Hool , a Swiss Soprano singer and author; and H. J Lim , a renowned pianist and writer. Journalist, Nine Simon, will host the event.  More details on the  literary festival programme to come here on this site. Competition details below. To enter the competition and give yourself a chance of winning a double ticket to this exclusive event, just fill in this form and let us know which edition of Le Livre Sur Les Quais is being held this year. Only one entry per person and per email is allowed. The competition closes at midnight on Wednesday, 31 August 2016. The names of all those submitting correct answers will be placed into the digital hat and the winner’s name drawn at random on Thursday, 1 September 2016. The winner will be notified by email and his/her name will be added to this article after the competition closes. The double ticket has been offered by Gems World Academy Switzerland.

Here are various music options coming up over the next few days in the Nyon area, including a concert tonight (26 November) at the Parenthèse. Punk Rock/Ska Punk/ Metal/Rock Saturday 28th November - Nyoncore festival at the Usine a Gaz.   Doors open at 18:30, concerts start at 19:00 Indie/ Folk/Pop Indie, Folk, Pop tonight (26 November) at 21:30 at La Parenthèse in Nyon with Maïa Vidal. See video below Classical Concerts in Nyon and in Lonay.  In collaboration with the COV ( Conservatoire of West Vaud ) and under the direction of Ahmed Hamdy, the Da Capo orchestra will play in Nyon on Sunday 29th November at the Salle Communale in Nyon and on Wednesday the 2nd December at the Salle des Pressoirs in Lonay. The orchestra will play works by P. Nardini, F. Mendelssohn and J.N. Hummel. A student from the Musikhochschule of Leipzig has been invited to play a work by Fr. A. Hoffmeister for viola and orchestra. The Boogie Woogie Trio will play at the 1306 Club on 27 November at 20:30 More details here