Did you know that children under the age of 12 are admitted free to Paléo, provided they are accompanied by an adult? There is also a "maternity" area for mothers with babies, a day nursery situated in the shade and away from the crowd,  a children's play area called the Mielmélo with entertainment provided  Full details here For those kids who don't want to miss out and who want to attend concerts, protective headphones are sold at the Festival's merchandising shops.

Conference for small businesses in English in Nyon on Friday 6th February  What are the common difficulties faced in running a business in Suisse Romande?  Are you thinking about launching a new business ?  Are you in business and is it having the impact you envisioned? Are you looking for business partners to take you and your business to the next level? Photo above courtesy D. Nickerson/depositphotos.com Join Yoshiko, Michelle, and Denise at the UniGlobal in Nyon on Friday 6th February at 19:00 where you will hear two 15 minute talks. Hear about about the common difficulties faced in running a business in Suisse Romande. This event is also a great opportunity to exchange tips and best practices. You will have time to network, challenge, and express concerns that meet the needs of your business.  Partners most welcome! The event will be held in the Uni Global Union building in Nyon at 8-10 Avenue Reverdil, Nyon. The closest parking is at La Combe shopping centre. The Perdtemps car park is approximately a 10 minute walk and  Nyon train station is a 5 minute walk from UNI Global Union.  For all parking options in Nyon, see link here This is the first of a series of events organized by Yoshiko Luebke targeted at supporting and growing a small business and building a local support network. Yoshiko, originally from Japan, is the founder of the La Côte Women’s Fair and has experience launching other successful businesses in Switzerland. She supports small business owners as a mentor. Speakers : Michelle Guiliano & Denise Nickerson : www.salt.consulting Refreshments will be served. CHF 10 RSVP to Yoshiko, email:  ikebanafusion@gmail.com Save the Date -  Male "Trailing Spouse" Event on 26th February  For the past few years Living in Nyon has been holding the occasional  *Male Trailing Spouse evening. This is for men who have moved to Switzerland to follow their female partners who work in Geneva or Vaud based organisations.   *For want of a better phrase - we are still looking for a better title!   See article on previous event here  These evenings are usually held in a local pub in Nyon or a nearby town. The next event will be on Thursday the 26th February 2015 in the evening. Venue and time to be confirmed soon. If you are a male accompanying spouse and you want to meet others in the same situation, please email info@livinginnyon.com to register your interest.

Photo above - Introductory welcome to all writers and tutors at the 2010 conference. Started in 1993, the Geneva Writers’ Group brings together over 200 English-language writers from 25 countries. Its objective is to encourage all forms of  writing in English.  Membership is open to all who wish to develop their creative writing skills. Encouragement and support are given to both beginning and published writers. There are currently over 55 published authors in the group from Diccon Bewes ("Slow Train to Switzerland" ) to Carmen Bugan ( "Burying the Typewriter") to Janet Skeslien Charles (Moonlight in Odessa) to Dinah Lee Kung ( A Visit from Voltaire) and Gail Mangold Vine (" Touring Geneva  Wine Country") . Group meetings are held monthly, from September to June at the Geneva Press Club, with a programme of writing workshops, critiquing sessions, and master classes. Since 1998 the group has held the biennial Geneva Writers’ Conferences, at Webster University, Bellevue/Geneva, welcoming writers from around the world, with a teaching staff, editors, and agents.   The next conference will be the 31st January to 2nd February 2014. The Living in Nyon  editor highly recommends  these conferences, they are inspiring, fun and informative and very good value for money!    See the GWG  website for more information on the group and to register for the upcoming conference.  Photo above- panel discussion on "The Business of Writing" at 2010 Conference with literary agents and editors  David Applefield, Lorella Belli ,  Jane Dystel and  Robert Stewart.

Note for those coming to the drinks evening tonight in Nyon. The XVI Hotel in the centre of Nyon is in Place du Marché, so it is either a short walk from the railway station, or if you are driving, the easiest place to park will be in the central car park in Place Perdtemps. Also note that if you are arranging to meet anyone else at the hotel, just sometimes there is a problem with signal strength for mobile phones under the arches or in the hotel. Buildings in this area are very old, some parts date back to Roman times. In the nightclub next door, part of the dance floor has glass flooring where you can see the Roman columns beneath. The Saturday market in Place du Marché is on the spot where there was a market in Roman times. See you all this evening!

The music goes on at Paléo and the festival is now into its final day.But you don't necessarily have to always be within the Paléo grounds to hear interesting music Over the six days musicians and buskers spring up all over the place. Such as this guy who was playing under the railway pass yesterday. He gathered an impromptu audience. So did these guys above who were playing just outside the Paléo grounds. As ever the CGN network is doing a fabulous job, transporting all the music lovers back and forwards from Nyon to the grounds, and all through the night and all for free. These guys below were on the way to the train station. I'm not sure whether they had mixed up the theme of this year (Brazil) with Mexico, judging by their hats, but what the heck. It's the atmosphere that makes these festivals and these guys were definitely going to lend a party one to it.

Thursday night at Paléo saw another mixed crowd of music fans from the Johnny Halliday fans and (Johnny look alikes!) to reggae and rock lovers. There was plenty of rock and guitar riffing that night with  Duck Duck Grey Duck kicking off the evening in the Club tent. Despite the early performance at 17:00, the group warmed the crowd up in style with energetic rock numbers. Talented lead singer/ guitarist Robin Girod is also part of the blues, zydeco, cajun band  Mama Rosin from Geneva (featured here on Living in Nyon after they played on Jools Holland on UK TV ) . Photos above: Duck Duck Grey Duck in concert Later on one the same stage, Hell's Kitchen played to a nearly packed tent with more riffing and plenty of rock and roll. Guitar solos played a big part of Thursday night's concerts particularly with invited American artist Gary Clark Junior . Clark once played for President Obama at the White House, and although the venue (and the company) must have been impressive, the atmosphere was probably a bit more relaxed on a summer's evening at Paléo for a blues artist (although 18:45 was probably a tad too early to attract a really massive crowd). Reggae fans young and old were out in force for Yannis Odua who played Les Arches early in the evening. The reggae artist shouted to the audience. Do you know how happy I am to play here? Do you know what a "sacré" (a heck of a) reputation Paléo has?  The crowd responded in kind with a massive roar. The roar was even bigger when finally at the end of the evening French legend  Johnny Halliday made his appearance on the main stage. His fans were very happy indeed. Waiting for Johnny

The annual Triathlon of Nyon will take place on Sunday 8th August, consequently there will be traffic restrictions between 08:30 and 17:00 across the town. The following maps explain the restrictions for Nyon, Eysins-Arnex and Crans-Céligny. For further info click here

Anyone down by the lake near the buvette of Crans on August 1st, got a fabulous sight of a flotilla of boats following the new Alinghi 5 boat as it sailed between Lausanne and Geneva. With a clear view of Mont Blanc, a light breeze and beautiful weather, there could not have been better sailing conditions and setting for the team on Switzerland's national day. Those on shore were poised with binoculars to get their first glimpse of the giant catamaran which will be the America's Cup defender. However not everyone was following the boat at great speed, some were there just to potter about quietly around on the lake. Meanwhile back in Nyon, the town is gearing itself up for more music festivals and other events, the main one being FAR , the festival of arts vivants (living arts). This takes place from the 10th to the 22nd August in various venues across the town. More on this later but you can take a look at the programme on their website . Also this weekend it's the Triathlon of Nyon which takes place on the 8th and 9th of August. It's not too late to register if you want to take part as on line inscriptions are taken until 10:00 on the 7th August. Note that there will be traffic restrictions around the town on the 9th August and the swimming pool between 16:00 and 20:00 on the 8th August will be used for the triathlon's purposes.

If last month's local elections didn't provide enough excitement for you, Nyon is giving you that extra frisson over the next two months as the position of mayor is now up for grabs. Who has the best overall view of the town? It’s an interesting situation right now as Bernadette explains: “At the moment two left wing candidates have put themselves forward for the position. First of all there is Claude Dupertuis, who is from the workers party, and who is the current ad-interim mayor. The well-known socialist Fabienne Freymond Cantone is another strong candidate and she is also now officially running for the post. The suspense of last week was whether Elisabeth Ruey-Ray (liberal party) would join the race. In a press conference last Monday she announced that she would be backing out. In her statement, she said that if she was chosen mayor it would be impossible to operate effectively with a municipality which is majority left wing. The right wing parties hope to come back strongly in three years time when there will be new elections. Last night (Weds) the Green Party held their meeting and discussed their backing for Daniel Rossellat. It to be expected that he will announce today that he will also join the race with the full support of the Green Party . Three left wing candidates are a lot for this election and now that Elisabeth Ruey-Ray is not running, most right wing votes might end up with the entrepreneur Daniel Rossellat. It’s also likely that a good slice of this electoral pie will end up with Fabienne Freymond Cantone. She is considered as a rather moderate socialist with a sound financial knowledge. Claude Dupertuis is probably too left wing to obtain many right wing votes. Who will get to the top? The real campaign will probably be kicked off early November with the vote on the 30th of November.” Thanks Bernadette. We’ll continue to keep you posted as an when we get more information.

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.