FAR (Festival des Arts Vivants) is Nyon's final major festival of the year and was launched on Wednesday night down at the Usine a Gaz in Nyon. This FAR festival brings artists and performers from across Switzerland and other countries. The full programme is on the FAR website and the festival continues until the 21st August. Performances and shows take place in venues across the town from the Conservatoire to the Salle Communale and at the festival's centrepoint the Usine a Gaz. If you have seen the tall wooden art installation on the Rive this is part of the festival too and is called "Probe". You can climb up it if you want (at your own risk!). Sailing regatta Also coming up in the Nyon area (in Crans)on the 20-22nd August is a sailing regatta called the Crans Open with sailing events on the Friday at 14:00 (training yachts), Saturday 11:30 (regatta) and Sunday (regatta). There will be spectator boats provided to watch this, food provided, giant screen etc.

The winter sauna has now been installed down by the lake and along with it, these colourful flags hanging above the water. For more details of sauna opening times and the assocation behind this initiative see the Bains des Trois Jetées . Photo below: the sauna with a view of the lake Expatriate Fair T he Léman Expat Fair will take place next Sunday from 11:00 - 17:00 at the Beaulieu in Lausanne. Over 120 Swiss and international businesses and services with experience in serving the English-speaking community. Now in its 4th year and covering the areas between Geneva and Montreux. Living in Nyon will have a stand at this fair so come and meet us! More details to follow. Tomorrow night at the Usine a Gaz there will be Arabic Jazz with Kamilya Jubran (Palestinian Swiss) and Werner Wesler. More details at Usine a Gaz .

The lovely sunny warm weather continues here in the Nyon area and with it, many people are out and about appreciating the lovely autumnal colours in Nyon's parks and gardens. Photo above - the gardens just below the Chateau. Some news from Nyon Latest news in Nyon is that the Roulotte (the temporary café behind the station) will close this Saturday (there will be a little party from 15:00 onwards). It will then move down to the lake where it will link up with the association of les Bains de Trois Jetees. This Sunday the association begins a new winter season and the sauna will be in operation. The dutch tub/ jacuzzi will not return, however La Roulotte will be offering massages as an alternative. Events coming up this weekend - Expat fair in Geneva on Sunday, Circus school performance, Concert at Conservatoire, Sauna reopens by the lake on Sunday, Jazz concert in Nyon on Friday night .Expat fair There are two expat fairs twice a year in this area, the first one is Expat Expo which takes place this Sunday 10th October from 11:00-17:00 at Palexpo in Geneva. With over 160 exhibitors under one roof there is lots of opportunity to find out about the clubs, societies on offer here for expats. (the second fair is Léman Events on 31 October in Lausanne, more details of this in the coming weeks on this site). Know it All Passport at Expat ExpoKnow it all passport the book that is the essential guide to living in Geneva, Vaud and neighbouring France will have a stand at the Geneva fair (see sidebar logo). This weekend Know it All will have a special offer on the latest book, if you trade in your last edition you will get a new one for just CHF 25. All you have to do is find your old green copy at home and bring it to Lisa on the stand (L1) who will trade it in for the new edition for just CHF 25. As the normal retail price is CHF 38 in shops, this is a great incentive to upgrade. Circus school performance this weekend On Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the L'Elastiquecitrique (the circus school in the centre of Nyon) François & Nini Pythoud, founders and directors of the circus school, will perform "Histoire de l'amour" . This performance will tell the story of how the couple got together, had four children, and lived their dream of creating the circus school, the trials and tribulations along the way, a story told with love and humour. The performance will last an hour. Performances - Friday 20:30, Saturday 19:00, Sunday 17:00 Adults 20 CHF, Students/AVS 15 CHF ; children from 3 years old 10 CHF . A bar with snacks is open an hour before the perfomance. Tickets on the day or reserve on 022 361 95 46 Classical music concert on Sunday Sunday afternoon classical concert at the Conservatoire at 17:00 - Trio de Vecchi, Baggi, Pozzini playing Schubert, Spohr, Strauss, De Pablo, Mosca. The Conservatoire is in a beautiful building and the Sunday afternoon concerts are a wonderful way of ending a weekend! Reservations 022 994 2360 Monday to Friday 14:00- 16:00 or at the door See COV for details (link also on sidebar) Jazz tonight Friday 8th October at 1306 club. Swing Jazz and Co at 20:30 at the 1306 club. This is a small private venue that is open to the public, entry is free but a contribution to the artists is requested on the night.Lake party On Sunday there is a programme for the party for the opening of the sauna again for winter. Music, swimming in the lake etc!

The weather is a bit inclement at the moment so if you are looking for suggestions for a day trip out you might like to know about the l'Hermitage museum in Lausanne. This Art Museum is situated at the top of the town and set in some lovely parkland and mature trees. There are good views from the front of the building over the roofttops of Lausanne to the cathedral and lake (when its not raining of course!). This art museum is housed in a beautiful 19th century former home and it holds temporary exhibitions on fine arts throughout the year. At the moment the Fondation de l'Hermitage is presenting a major retrospective devoted to Edward Hopper, one of the best known 20th- century American artists. This is the description of the exhibition from the Hermitage's own site "The Hermitage brings together over 160 works highlighting the main characteristics and techniques of every period of Hopper's career, from his view of Paris to typical scenes from the New World and his emblematic mature works" Next to the museum there is a brasserie/restaurant housed in the old dovecot (try the chocolate fondant on their dessert menu- delicious!) Full information on opening times entry fees etc is on the l'Hermitage website and in English. Note - the museum is closed on Mondays apart from the Jeune Federal Holiday (20 September). If you have time while you are in Lausanne then check out the cathedral with its magnificent stained windows. The walk up to this cathedral is up some lovely old wooden covered stairs from Place de La Palud. Note if you are travelling by public transport there is also a bus stop just on the road outside the cathedral which will take you up to the L'Hermitage. The cathedral has the most incredible organ too. Inaugurated in 2003, it is the "only one of its kind in the world by virtue of its design (American manufacture by Fisk, Italian design by Giugiaro), its musical characteristics (French classical and symphonic styles, German baroque and romantic) and its dimensions (nearly 7,000 pipes, 40 tonnes, 150,000 hours of work to complete)." from Lausanne tourism site. Concerts are held there regularly.

Friday night at Paléo saw plenty of psychedelic images coming from the Jamiroquai stage. Images and videos all timed to perfection to link in with the music. From "Canned Heat" to "Cosmic Girl", JK produced a spectacular show and engaged with the crowd wishing Paléo a Happy 35th Birthday. However some of the best images came from the grounds itself with the purple and green lights on the trees and the moon making an appearance above it all, (the cameraman took the opportunity of panning on the moon just as "Spacecowboy" was playing). Jamiroquai himself commented on the trees surrounding the grounds and on those that were lit up by the fires on the field. As anyone who has ever been to Paléo will tell you, this festival isn't just about the music it's about the atmosphere, the people and the events going on alongside whats going on stage. The barefoot writer Jonas Parson ( photo below) tells us below about his Paléo on Friday. Last night was the « roots » night, starring famous German reggae artist Gentleman, with Jamiroquai’s funk later on in the evening. The weather spared us, with nearly no rain, even though the temperature dropped quite a bit. Gentleman started the evening, all the way from Jamaica, erm, I mean Germany. Yes, as strange as it sounds, one of today’s best known reggaemen isn’t actually from Kingston, but from Osnabrück, Germany, even though his spiritual belonging to Jamaica can’t be denied. The off to the Chapiteau it was, to go and see Inna Da Yard, a Jamaican (this time…) collective devoted to bringing Reggae back to its roots, with a singer, a guitar and drums, as it used to be played in their courtyards. These extremely talented musicians just sound great, and they look even greater. It’s basically a few old men with dreadlocks and sunglasses, sitting on chairs to one side of the stage, and coming one by one to sing while the others do percussions, along with a drummer a guitarist and a pianist. The concert was excellent, everybody dancing to the rhythm of the music, it being impossible to resist to the vibes, as if they were in total harmony with our bodies and the world around us. It would be interesting to find out the total amount of Marijuana smoked on Friday, for if Paleo does have the reputation of being filled with joint smokers, the reggae evening is always specially scented. And when the concert takes place in a closed space, the smoke hangs about in the air, while the people in the crowd keep puffing away. The rest of the evening was spent mainly soaking in the atmosphere of the festival grounds, roaming about with friends. It was the occasion to see some quite interesting things, like a bare chested devil, red from head to feet, running towards the Village du Monde. This is something that I really appreciate about Paléo. People aren’t scared to act wildly, and you get to see the creative side of people, which is usually hidden away because of social conventions. If you act strangely, people at the festival won’t judge you, but will probably have a good laugh, sometimes joining in for some extra fun. Another example is the proliferation of “freehuggers”, i.e. people who go around the grounds with a sign saying ‘free hugs’, and giving out hugs to whoever wants them. Last night I saw quite a funny variation to the free hug: the free kiss, two girls with very red lipstick on offering to add a bit of colour to your cheeks. Another great thing to see when you just wander about is the street performers who play throughout the grounds. This year l’Asse has the honour of hosting two chorals, some explorers on an elephant, along with strange colourful creatures rising up from the backs of two artists who go round bringing a bit of colour into your day (apparently sent by the french ministry of culture, they took someone who spoke Spanish with them when they heard that Switzerland was a multilingual country…) Every night tends to finish off at the quartier des Alpes, around on of the big fire installations, seeking warmth there. It’s funny to see the people gradually leaving as the fires die down, later in the evening, everybody migrating to the few pots still burning (the fires are made of a piece of jean in a pot full of some sort of wax)."

Whether it is at Paléo, Caribana, the Usine a Gaz, Javal or Longirock, Nyon residents are very lucky to have a rich seam of music festivals and venues on their doorstep. Two years ago, Living in Nyon spotted a Geneva based band called Mama Rosin perform at the small 1306 club in the old town in Nyon (so called because the house the club is situated in, dates back to 1306) . We wrote here on this site about what a great concert it was, and then again when the group performed at Paléo and Caribana ( see "two bands to watch out for"). Living in Nyon is delighted to discover that the band will be performing on "Later with Jools Holland" on the TV channel BBC2 on Friday 1st October. This prestigious programme showcases many new bands and familiar names in all music genres and is shown around the world. Mama Rosin are not the first band to have been discovered here in Nyon, many others have started off in a small way in local venues or at summer festivals and have gone on to bigger things, so next time you attend a music concert here in the area, keep an eye out for upcoming singers and groups, as you never know where they will end up!

An informal early evening/ after work drinks evening will take place this Wednesday 29th September from 18:00 -20:00 at the "Roulotte", the temporary café just behind Nyon railway station. Please note, this is an outside venue (so dress warmily!) However, the weather forecast is looking fine for Wednesday, so it will be good to have a final outdoor drinks before Autumn is upon us. Photos above and below are of the café. This is a good opportunity to meet other Anglophones and readers of this site. If you have just arrived here it's also a chance to ask the editor and others questions about living in the town and area. There is no need to reserve for this evening however if you would like to attend then it would help if you sent an email to cnp2@ bluewin.ch for an approximate idea of numbers. The Roulotte serves wine, beers, snacks and some food. If for any reason the weather changes dramatically and is too inclement to hold the event, then there will be an update on this site on Wednesday.

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. "

Two films at a glance from the International Competition at Visions du Réel. Reviews by Emma Johnson Intérieurs de Delta by Sylvain L’Espérance is showing at 13:30 today, Tuesday 20 April, at the Capitole 2 Fellini cinema and La Montée au Ciel by Stephane Breton will screen in the same theatre tonight at 20:00 Intérieurs de Delta, directed by Sylvain L’Espérance, is filmed in the area surrounding the dramatic Niger River in Mali. It documents how entwined the Bozo peoples’ live and livelihoods are with the river and surrounding nature, as well as recording the Bozos’ stories. The film opens with two local men talking and sitting in the shade against a clay wall - one is a fisherman who the director will follow, and one is a dugout canoe maker. As their tales pour forth, we quickly understand that Mali is stuck somewhere between the demands of the modern world and a traditional way of life. The audience learns that the global economy has had its effects on this region of dusty earth and humble villages. With the rising costs of petrol and wood, the drop in the river water levels and the amount of fish, and a lack of education, the men lament how they have inherited a situation that cannot be undone nor improved upon. The fisherman speaks of the backbreaking labour required just to make ends meet, and this sense of futility is explored throughout the film. Travelling along the river, we arrive at the fisherman’s family home, a small hut on the dry banks of the Niger. His wife, speaking to the camera, her modest belongings around her, repeats that the work of the Bozo is never finished. The audience soon sees her pounding grains; the rhythm of her work highlighting the relentless rhythm of her life. Perhaps the most heartbreaking tale is when the fisherman’s oldest son sums up the situation. He states that his grandparents and parents have "left us nothing", and that each generation starts back at the same point in their struggle for subsistence living. We see the family bringing in the fishing nets, and the solitary fish that flaps in the net drives home the point that these people spend their waking hours trying to feed themselves, doing hard physical work from childhood to old age. Their lives are reminiscent of the Myth of Sisyphus, where the Greek hero is condemned to forever push a boulder up a hill, only for it to roll back down upon arrival at the top. In addition to capturing a way of life and the incredible and sometimes bleak surroundings, Espérance also beautifully films a powerful storm in the night sky. We see the family huddled in their small hut as lightning rips across the sky, once again victim to forces beyond their control. La Montée au Ciel, directed by Stephane Breton opens with a close up on the incredible, weathered face of a Nepali shepherd, whose life is mapped out in the fine lines - this is fitting for a documentary that was made as part of a series called Visages du monde (Faces of the World) in memory of Nicolas Bouvier, the Swiss writer and traveller. The next shot shows this sole Nepali shepherd quietly smoking a cigarette under an umbrella amidst the green mountains. A feeling of solitude is instantly created, as is a reflective, meditative atmosphere. The documentary then moves to a poor Brahman village, where all are bickering over the exact dimensions of their land. Oppressiveness is thick here as we see the worn faces, worn clothes, thick mud and ever-present flies. These conditions and the density of population concentrated in this one place, despite the enormous surrounding space available, create a desire to get away and head for the hills. Breton himself is never directly present in the documentary, leaving the villagers and the place to speak for themselves. This is total immersion, and beside the occasional looks at the camera from protagonists, the audience could almost forget the director is even there. After the screening, Breton told us that he wanted to show these people as they are and he does so very successfully. After the heated scenes in the village, the director follows two shepherds in their ascent up the mountain with their herds. Silence and solitude are built upon as we first see one of the shepherds slowly making chapatti in his room, and then later lying down to sleep on the mountain slopes as his herd grazes, sheltered from the rain only by a sheet of plastic. As the film moves up, it also moves to the interior. The ascent is a meditative trip, filled with a quiet spirituality, timelessness and pastoral solitude. It is quiet beautiful.

The small village of Eysins just next to Nyon will jamming to the sound of reggae on Saturday 8th May as The Jamaica Association in Switzerland will be having its 6th annual party from 20:00 to 02.00 a.m in the Salle Communale in Eysins. Jamaican music, Jamaican food rice and peas, fried chicken, DJ William (reggae calypso, ragga, dancehall) For more information : 079 308 93 42 ou 076 575 11 09 More details on Nyon tourist board site

A mix of music to cater for all ages and with an African feel to it is the line up for this year's Paléo Festival. From Jamiroquai to M to Diam's to Indochine to the John Butler Trio to Johnny Clegg and Hugh Masekela, once again Paléo has brought out an interesting and eclectic mix to the music for the festival this year. Check out the programme here At least a quarter of the bands that will be playing are Swiss bands, so good news for Swiss rock and pop music. 80% of the bands that have been chosen to be on the programme have never played at Paléo before either. If you have never been to Paléo before then you are in for a treat. Tickets go on sale on Wednesday 21 April at midday and there are tickets to win on the Paléo website, look at some of the tongue in cheek questions to win tickets..... More on Paléo and the line up and buying tickets here on Living in Nyon. "Afrique Australe" is the theme of the music that will be played in the Village du Monde section of Paléo. Bands include Ladysmith Black Mambozo, Mahotella Queens, Ben Sharpa and more. Spiced fish from Durban at the Paléo press conference

Paléo tickets go on sale today at midday, so if you don't want to miss out, then get inline at ticket outlets across Nyon and area or get online and print them out at home! Tickets sold out in record time last year.