Wednesday night was probably the most sought after night this year, with Belgian pop phenomenon Stromae finishing the evening on the main stage. All the tickets for the night sold out in a record 8 minutes in April. Paléo boss Daniel Rossellat said they could easily have sold another 25'000 tickets that day and the remaining 1,500 that went on sale at 9:00 Wednesday morning sold out in a another record-breaking 2 minutes, with more than 15,000 people desperately trying to log in to the site. The weather continued on its streak of greyishness with no rain, the grounds slowly drying up (and it is set to stay this way for the next few days). Spirits were high on this second night, everyone eagerly anticipating Stromae's catchy hits. But Wednesday was not a one-hit act, and the line-up was again varied and incredible. Adieu Gary Cooper , a Swiss garage folk band whose music is heavily influenced by the gritty music of the west-coast,but who sing in French, started the evening with just enough style and grit, with some haunting riffs on the lap steel guitar. At the Dôme, Meridian Brothers -one of my favourites from Tuesday night were playing again, and it was a pleasure to delve even deeper into their complex tunes. Needless to say that I was also present later on for a second helping of La Chiva Gantiva's boisterous tunes. Before the young Stromae, and his crowd of even younger fans gathered in front of the main stage, it was time for blues legend Seasick Steve, who brought with him some of the sun of his native Tennessee. Living In Nyon managed to catch up with the 70 year old musician after his concert, read about it here. Paléo isn't all about the music, and one of the charms of the festival is its amazing street performers. Whether you see them performing through the grounds, such as this very special string trio, who play on custom made instruments. Shy yet mischievous, they play their way through the crowd, stopping to give some lucky soul a private concert. A variety of different artists can be seen across the grounds throughout the week, so keep an eye out for a magical encounter! But the real magic goes on at La Ruche, where the circus and street theatre takes place. This year, la Cie 2Rien Merci is back with a beautiful and poetic love declaration to the magic lantern and its first uses in fair grounds. The show, that goes on for about an hour, takes you through different installations, plunging you in the wacky and rusty universe of 2 Rien Merci, one of the best street theatre collectives that I know of. I won't tell you more about the show, so as to leave the magic of the discovery, but note that as it takes place partly in a small caravan, the seats are limited- tickets are handed out 10 minutes before each show, which take place about 5 times a day, so if you want to see the show, make sure to get there in time!  Reggae at Les Arches The night had a roots tinge to it, with Naâman playing earlier in the evening at Les Arches. This young musician from Normandie is one of the rising stars of the roots reggae scene in France. Once you get over the irritation caused by a young white French guy trying to sing in Jamaican patois, and saying “Jah” every other word, the music is actually really great, and he communicated his energy with the crowd. Later on, Ky-Mani Marley , a member of the great Marley tribe was on on the same stage. His hybrid mix of reggae, electro and hip-hop pleased the crowd, everyone moving their body to the reggae-man's riddims.  "Alors l'Asse dance" Coming up to 11:30, everybody started drifting towards the Grande Scène for Stromae, including a lot of family with kids. Anticipating the high demand for this concert, additional screens had been set up to let everybody enjoy the concert. Intent on getting to the middle of the crowd, I engaged in one of the national Paléo sports, weaving through the crowd to get to the right spot. AN interesting fact about big crowds, is that although the edges seem packed out, and it looks like there is no way to get in, once you get yourself past the first few meters, the crowd loosens up, giving you more space, a better spot for the concert, and usually slightly less cross people (there is something about people who make a fuss about being touched in the middle of a crowd which always confounds me) Stromae delivered a memorable concert, in front of a amazing crowd, who danced and sang along with him. Full of energy, he delivered some of his finest dance moves, dressed in the geek-chic outfits he is known for. The music was accompanied by an impressive visual show on a huge screen behind him, whether it was a squadron of dancing men mimicking Stromae's choreographies, or rather disturbing insect legs crawling across the screen, covering it up with darkness during the song about cancer, making for a really intense moment. Really humble and chatty, the Belgian pop star thanked the crowd for being “so many, so fast”, before going off on a rant about “frites” being called French fries instead of Belgian fries in English an outrage he compared to calling Lake Leman “Lake Geneva”, or saying that wine was a Belgian drink. His first big hit “Alors on Dance” had everyone dancing to series of sample from 90's disco music, and he pleased the crowd with all the favourites, from his song on gender stereotypes “Tous les mêmes” to his touching tribute to Cesaria Evoria. He finished his concert by thanking his entire crew individually, before a last a capella version of “Tous les mêmes”, for the greatest pleasure of the crowd. Remember you can watch some concerts live via the website, as well as check some full concerts and "best-of"s of the night before here.

Tracey Tokuhama-Espinosa , author of “Raising Multilingual Children” and five other books on the brain and learning, will be visiting various destinations in Switzerland in November to present her dynamic workshops.  These workshops organised by Know it All Passport are very popular so book early to avoid disappointment!   See details below.  Also coming up on the agenda, is a Gala Dinner on the 31st October organised by "Friends of India". The guest speaker at this dinner will be Lord Paddy Ashdown, diplomat, humanitarian, international envoy and author. Details below. Raising Multilingual Children: Foreign Language Acquisition and Children by world-renowned specialist in education and neuroscience,  Tracey Tokuhama-Espinosa , Ph.D.  Tracey is half Japanese-American, half Irish-Native American and is married to an Ecuadorian. Her 3 children aged 19, 17 and 15 speak fluent English, Spanish and German and some French. Tracey says there are ten key factors which influence every student’s success with new languages: 1)   Timing 2)   Aptitude  3)   Motivation  4)   Strategy  5)   Consistency 6)   Opportunity 7)   Language Typology 8)   Siblings 9)   Gender 10) Hand-use. Each person will combine these “ingredients” together in their own unique “recipe” for learning. This workshop will familiarise teachers and parents with the factors and suggest tools for enhancing those which are shaped in the school context. Tracey will also explain how children learn languages and answer your questions. For example: * Is it OK to have 2, 3, 4 languages at the same time or is it better for children to learn languages consecutively? * When should your children learn multi-literacy skills? * Who should speak what in order to maximize the best language skills? * Should you learn a foreign language alongside your children? * Raising your child multilingualy has worked so far, but now your child is growing up and you have different questions about identity, literacy, strategy, etc. * Come with your own questions and be prepared to share your own concerns about the best way to raise multilingual children. 18:00 Registration and welcome drink 18h:30- 20:00 Ten key factors which influence every student’s success with new languages 20:00- 20:30 Break with drinks and food 20:00-21:45  How children learn languages and Q&A 22:00 End The workshops will take place in the following locations. VERBIER, November 13,   LAUSANNE, November 14,   GENEVA, November 15,   ZURICH, November 16 Reserve early as spaces are limited. See here  Gala Dinner 31st October with Lord Paddy Ashdown as guest speaker, For full details see Friends of India

Cafés Appunto in Manor the department store in the centre of town. For a coffee, tea, sandwich, quick lunch (self service) Gets busy at lunch time with students. Bibliothee Update 12th October 09 Sadly Bibliothee has now closed its doors but the manager will be opening a new small coffee shop very soon. Watch this space. Restaurants La Croix Verte A Nyon institution in a traditional Swiss building in the centre of town opposite the BCV bank. Serves mainly Italian food, Take away pizzas available. Greek mezze on the menu in summer. Outside terrace when the weather is warm. Very busy most nights and at the weekends. (No website) 022 361 1539 La Débarcadere on the lake front. Very friendly staff. Perch and frites, Steak Tartare. Nice no smoking area on second floor. (No website) 022 361 1710 Le Léman Restaurant Next to and similar menu to the Débarcadere. Great to have a bowl of their home made tomato soup after a winter walk. (No website) Tel:022 361 7321 Le Seizième Siecle . This is a family run restaurant and a small hotel found under the arches in Place du Marché. Swiss food, fondue, special Autumn menu. You can just have a drink here too. Very friendly staff. Differenciels Funky Decor, funky music, great salads and panninis. Small outside terrace. Popular with young crowd at lunchtimes and evenings. Le Mâitre Jaques Small restaurant with fine dining, not far from the lake.     Shops Angelika Chollet Boutique down by the lake. Unusual stuff, home ware, jewellery, bags, cards, children's gifts. Modern designs. (No website) Tel 022 3616513 Catambo Lots of brightly coloured gifts and products from Africa and around the world. Candles, cards. teas and coffees, posters. Photography Photo Studio Berger 32 Rue St-Jean in Nyon. Daniel Berger. Very friendly owner. Photography services, sells colour and monochrome film, passport photography, printing service. Tel: 022 361 1556 366cm Magasin Design A small but interesting design shop down Ruelle de la Poterne in the old town. Lamps, office stuff, t-shirts and other stuff . The name of this shop comes from the combined height of the two designers Vincent and Sergio who work out of this shop/office.......! Rive Marine Even if you don't possess a boat, the chandlers down at the lakeside is worth taking a look at for deck shoes, Havaianas, waterproofs etc and the owner is very helpful indeed. For Hairdressers Art Tifs just round the corner from the station. Very friendly staff and Claire (in photo) speaks English. Closed Mondays Tel 022 361 2345 For nights out Club1306.net This is in the basement of a private house, dating back to... you guessed it, 1306! It is occasionally opened to the public, so keep an eye out for the posters around town of their coming events. The last event saw the superb band Mama Rosin play here. Giving a very professional set of blues and cajun music they had the house stomping and applauding. This intimate venue has a good sound quality and is ideal for jazz and small groups. Mama Rosin in concert

New Year Swim in the Lake anyone?  For the past few years, the Bains des 3 jetées (the association responsible for various events: the outdoor sauna, full moon parties, rejuvenation of the lake area near the three jettys etc) holds a new year lake swim. This year it will be on Sunday 10th January, the party kicks off at 12:00, there will be food and drink to buy on the day to help raise funds for the association and the actual swim will take place at 13:00. If you think you are brave enough to dip into the icy waters and want to take part,  register here.  Many participants dress up in costume for the swim, so the event can often also be a great photo opportunity. See pic below from one of the very first swims in 2011.

Hamaabada will be shown today Thursday 25th of April at 12.00 at the cinema Capitol 2. Film reviewed by Suzy Nelson-Pollard  For film lovers or international relations enthusiasts that are looking for an interesting documentary that combines hard-hitting facts, exclusive interviews and a unique perspective on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Hamaabada at 12:00 today should not be missed at the Visions du Réel festival. The premise of Yotam Feldman’s film is that in the past few years, the Israeli arms industry has developed to become such a corner stone for the national economy, that Israël has a national interest to maintain itself in a perpetual state of war. According to Feldman, in the past, war and normal life were two mutually exclusive states, where one had to stop for the other to start, whereas now, advanced technology and strategy permits the Israelis to minimise (Israeli) civilian deaths, and each wave of conflict provides the opportunity for the arms industry to test out their new equipment before putting it on the global market.   Urban warfare The film follows and interviews several heads of industry and military strategists, as well as documents arms trading fairs and conferences. Businessman Amos Golan,  inventor of the weapon "CornerShot",  has no qualms about the object of  his trade “Am I an arms dealer, a defence exporter, or simply a creator?”. The filmmaker interviews an eccentric military strategist (or “military philosopher” as he likes to call himself), who specialises in developing tactics for urban warfare, and applying military force in to civil areas. “Don’t attack with geometry, hide the formation and then see who gets confused! It ends up with fantastic confrontations!” As Israël becomes a leading arms manufacturer, with exports doubling every three years, armies from around the world have begun to also look to the country for training and experience. Scenes of soldiers in national uniforms training side by side on Israeli territory can only make the viewer wonder if these tactics learnt will be used against each other on the battlefield on a different part of the globe. The Minister of Trade interviewed on camera at an industry fair explained that the demand for Israeli arms is so high because it is the best technology in the world, but also because it has been tested. A university lecturer is interviewed and he reluctantly reveals that mathematical methods are used for military strategy, such as a formula for collapse, where “q” is the “number of people neutralised” and “Q” is “system collapse”. The documentary follows Leo Gleser, the head of a defence consultancy company, on a business trip to Brazil, where the Brazilian Special Forces are one of his biggest clients for police vehicles, arms and training for their combat against narco traffic in the favelas. “I don’t create the shit,” he says, “I try to turn the shit into an odourless package”. Turning blood into money One of the key strategists of  Operation Cast Lead comments, “certain countries accuse of us killing civilians, but they send their officers to train here. They want to know the trick of turning blood into money”. Finally the film ends with the statistic of 7 billion dollars in weapons sales in 2012 from Israël, and Ehud Barak publicly declaring that 150’000 Israeli households depend on the industry, followed by a brilliant scene of government officials and industry heads watching a live performance of the song “Imagine” at a convention. Whether the filmmaker’s hypothesis that the Israeli economic miracle is because of the war, and not despite it, is right or wrong, Yotam Feldman makes a strong case with extraordinary interviews and insights. It is a fast paced, thought provoking film that gives a rare peek into a secretive and highly influential industry, and asks important questions about the relationship between modern warfare, military strategy and economics. It will be very interesting to see the reaction towards this film at its premier next week in Israël.

Living in Nyon and Know-it-all passport have produced a new 2016 podcast: on this latest one you can hear about the key events happening in the Nyon area throughout the next 12 months, and suggestions for various spas and thermal baths that are worth a visit for a bit of New Year pampering. Lisa (from Know-it-all passport) also teaches Catherine a form of French argot - useful info if you are learning the language and want to be up-to-date with local expressions. They talk briefly about the  Hot-Air Balloon Festival  which takes place from the 23rd to the 31st January in Château-d'Oex.  This pretty village, which is around two hours by train from Nyon is host to an annual meeting of balloonists. It's a spectacular sight to see all the balloons in the air! Full details here

The timetable for all the concerts at Paléo 2013 is now out so festival goers can plan their night (or nights!) at one of Europe's biggest outdoor festivals here in Nyon.  Click here for the programme  and timings, just click on the arrow on the right hand side to see all the week's concerts. Neil Young and Crazy Horse is scheduled on the main stage at 23:00 on Tuesday 23rd July Photo above: Neil Young - courtesy Paléo  The Artic Monkeys at 21:00 on Weds 24th July Photo above: The Artic Monkeys- courtesy Paléo and Santana at 20:30 on Thursday 25th. Photo above: Santana - courtesy Paléo Don't forget there is a Paléo Buddy App a free mobile app for iPhone, Android and Windows Phone. The App has the full programme with interactive map, latest news and practical information. All Paléo info here New to Switzerland and want to know more about Paléo?  See  this video here Paléo 2013 - Clip de présentation

Summing up Paléo  Article here Article 26th July 2009   Rodrigo and Gabriela, Amy McDonaldArticle 25th July 2009   Paléo in centre of NyonArticle 24th July 2009   What to wear for PaléoArticle 23rd July 2009   Mama Rosin, Blackbox RevelationArticle 22nd July 2009   The Prodigy, Gossip, Franz Ferdinand, The Kaisers Chiefs etcArticle 21 July 2009      Paléo for childrenArticle 20 July 2009   Intro to Paléo 2009 All about Paléo 2008 Article 28th July 2008 summing up PaléoArticle 27th July 2008 Paléo outside the groundsArticle 25th July 2008   Fourth day of festivalArticle 22nd July 2008   Being a volunteer at PaléoArticle 21 July 2008   Intro to Paléo 2008 Caribana 2009 13 June   UB 40, Tweek, Madcon 11 June   Travis 11 June ZZ Top, Love Bugs, Duff Mcagan's Loaded 10 June Intro to festival Caribana 2008 Article 9 June Manic Street Preachers, Stereophonics, Alanis Morisette

On Thursday night in Morges, American Keith Carlock (award winning drummer who has played and toured with Sting, Steely Dan , James Taylor and many others) will give a drumming workshop at Boullard Musique in Morges. The workshop starts at 19:30 and will last for approximately and hour and half to include a question and answer session. In 2006, Keith was named "Number 2 Best All-Around Drummer" in "Modern Drummer's" Readers Poll and has played with an impressive line up of rock and music stars over the course of his career. The workshop will also be filmed and then projected onto a screen enabling participants to see close-ups of the drums and the drummer's hand movements etc. Prices Adults CHF 20/Children and Students CHF 10 Reservations necessary Tel 021-811-2828 Full details and directions on the Boullard website which is in English and French.

A Glasgow Rangers football shirt signed by all the current team, Walter Smith and Ally McCoist, plus a signed copy of Jackie Stewart's autobiography "Winning is not enough" (Jackie was a World Champion Formula One Racing Driver and has lived in the Nyon area for many years) are all up for grabs this Saturday at the International Womens Club of Nyon's Bazaar. This bi-annual event is the fruition of of months of work by its members to raise a substantial amount of money for international and local Nyon charities. There are lots of stalls selling a wide variety of goods including an opportunity for expats to stock up on goodies from "home" just in time for Christmas from the International stall. Theres also the chance to sit and have a chat over a bowl of soup or sandwich or slice of lasagne at the "Bistro". A willling helper at the bazaar in 2006 If you are new to Nyon its good to come along on Saturday to meet the women (and volunteering partners) at this bi-annual event. Although the club works in English it has many different nationalities within its membership and holds events and activities throughout the year from French classes at all levels, to a English film cinema club and a financial investment group. There are some new stalls being added to the bazaar this time. At the pets stall there will be second hand items for sale, hamster cages, cat carrying boxes, books on pets, and toys for pets too. If brocante is your thing then there are always some interesting finds at this fair, it's amazing what can be hidden away in peoples attics or in caves. The book and toy stall always prove popular too. If you can't make it on the day but are interested in putting in a bid for the signed sports memorabilia then you can email either junecooper@gmail.com or susanpfluger@gmail.com The Bazaar is from 10:00- 16:00 on the 8th November at the Salle Communale in Nyon in Place Perdtemps.

On Wednesday 1st April, the line up of Caribana the first of the local music festivals is announced. This festival is held along side the lake at Crans-près-Celigny from 10 -14 June and is a great way to begin the summer music season. More news on Wednesday. On Thursday 2nd April, the line up of Montreux Jazz Festival is also released and then tickets go on sale the same day for the festival July 3-18th. For the big names you have to be quick off the mark, and book tickets asap. Other tickets such as those for the various boats ie: salsa boat or the jazz train don't tend to sell out as fast. There are some new faces around Nyon at the moment, as the town has welcomed in approximately 90 asylum seekers. It is providing temporary accommodation to men mainly from Eritrea, Somalia, Nigeria, Sri Lanka and Iraq. They are being housed in the "l'abri" (the town's safety bunker). The bunker is well equipped, with showers, bedrooms, a canteen and TV room. The council have also provided a building with table tennis, exercise machines, games, and books for the men to use , while they are in the process of waiting to hear their future. The organiser in charge of looking after the mens welfare, said that the people of Nyon had been extremely welcoming and come forward with help from everything to clothing to translation services.

Here are two more film reviews written by Karhy Morf on films that have been shown at Visions du Réel over the festival. If you missed seing any of these films, all is not lost, quite often they are shown again either on Swiss television or at the cinema later on in the year, if this should happen Living in Nyon will alert readers in advance. Note: there are also some of the films already available in the festival "shop" which is in the Salle Communale over the festival period.    The Table with the Dogs (Kathakali) by Cédric Martinelli and Julien Touati - Learning a traditional Indian dance style Kathy says; “Ten years ago I saw my first Kathakali performance in southern India. The show was fascinating and like no other I had seen. This style of traditional dance-drama originated from Kerala in the seventeenth century. Dancing Bharatanatyam (south Indian classical dance) myself for four years in I can imagine the effort and hours that go into the training. I was surprised to see how well a foreigner was able to master the art in only a few years. After this movie you will understand that a good Kathakali dancer needs skill, immense concentration and physical stamina.” Testing your body limits French choreographer and dancer Julien Touati joins the PSV Nathyasangham School in Kottakal (Kerala) for three years. He is the only white student in a class of young Indian men. Students can join the school at age thirteen and usually become accomplished dancers fourteen years later. Many of the youngsters that enter this type of school dedicate their lives to dance. Training begins each day at 0:5:00a.m. The pupils begin by executing strenuous eye movements while they sit on woven mats on the cement floor. Then they smear oil on their bodies and cover themselves with a loincloth. One after the other they jump around the room like grasshoppers, doing stretches, arm movements, turning and twisting their bodies in all directions and running on the spot at breakneck speed. As they go through dance steps non-stop for hours sweat pours off their faces and bodies. Intricate mudras (hand gestures) are learnt tell a story on their own as well as a combination of eye and eyebrow movements. Their master joins in to show them what they have missed or still need to control. The teacher simply touches the students’ body to correct his position. The classes go on without much talking. The classes take place in a simple cement building. The rooms contain only the bare necessities. Wooden tables and benches are used to share a drink or meal. Some learn to play musical instruments. A young boy learns to sings, trying to follow the tone of his teacher. When a mistake is made the he is immediately corrected and made to begin again until it is perfect. Each dancer must be ready to learn, listen and give his best from dawn to sunset. He is required to be obedient and work as long as the instructor feels is necessary. Kathakali costumes are elaborate and prepared with care by skilled tailors. Each student takes at least an hour to do his make-up before a show. He paints his face, colours his eyes, puts on his jingles and the costume of the character he is going to represent. When the musicians are in place and the dancers are ready the show can begin. Kathy also saw "I was born on a spring day" – Road movie and discovering an absent father by Claudia Dessolis “The solitary road journey takes us from Geneva to Marseille. The viewer gets a glimpse of unknown landscapes along the way, meets individuals learns about their lives. It is also the story about the film director's absent father through a letter to his daughter. It takes some time to get used to the various different elements of the story. I enjoyed discovering the father through his letter and meeting the individuals on the road I often laughed at their stories. The movie also has you wondering what it means growing up with a father in jail.”  From Geneva to Marseille The film begins with a man’s voice, Claudia’s father, writing about his life from prison. He was born in Barbagia, Sardinia in 1942 in the interior mountain area of the impenetrable maquis (shrubland)which was also famous for its bandits and kidnappers. Many tried to conquer this region and after many efforts had no choice but to abandon it. Claudia had her bag stolen which held many important personal contents that she will never get back again, like a picture of her sitting on her father's lap. The trip stops to interview individuals that each have an interesting story to tell. The father's voice comes in pieces, fragmenting the film, and goes on with his story. She meets a variety of people on her journey from an elderly couple  that she speaks to through the closed gates of an old factory (she could not enter because of the presence of two guard dogs). The couple have lived there for the past twenty-three years to guard the factory which is located in the middle of nowhere. She then goes on to meet  a group of young people who sit  around and talk about why they don’t fit into the society anymore. A girl confides that she needs a lot of freedom and that her mother cannot offer enough. A man talks about eating a cat and how he made stew with it. It tasted exactly like rabbit stew.  A card reader shuffles the cards and lays them on the table. He reads Claudia’s fortune and tells her that she is beginning a new life with this movie and that it will never be the same again. She also meets a porno actor who freely explains what it is like having to perform well in front of the camera. He is scared with each film. Will he able to satisfy the woman and the film director? He does what the film director says. He enjoys what he does. These other individuals plus the children she meeets make this an interesting story.