Photo above - C. Nelson-Pollard. "Warpaint" from Los Angeles, playing in the Chapiteau tent last night There are many ways you can get to Paléo, whether it is by unicycle, or in a supermarket trolley - see pictures below! For those who want to go by more traditional methods, the Paléo website lists all of these in English and reminds music lovers that if you want to use public transport, most regions in western Switzerland operate a rail or coach service, at a special Paléo fare and Nyon's district buses even offer free of charge service! TL and TPG buses cover the cities of Lausanne and Geneva on arrival of the special night trains. See link here If you really want to take your own car there is a good explanation about the car parking facilities on this link here. Food, Glorious, Food Living in Nyon writer Jonas has already mentioned in a previous post about all the fabulous food on offer at the festival and this year there is an amazing range, particularly in the Village du Monde area. The queues in this area are not always as long as in the main food area nearer the entrance, so it's worth walking that little bit further to discover other culinary delights, which this year from the Middle East. The editor can definitely recommend the vegetable samosas from the Pakistan stall (apparently the spinach delicacies from the "Istanbul" stall are very tasty too!) Photo above - Delicious vegetable samosas Photo above and below - relax with food under the exotic tents in the Village du Monde or eat at a table next to the hundred old olive trees, specially brought in for the festival! Photo above - Paléo baby. You are never too young (or old) to rock and roll and enjoy the music!

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 hereLocal 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

A review of Tuesday night's Paléo by by Jonas Parson. Back on the Paléo grounds! After missing out on Paléo last year (trekking in Ladakh does seem like a good excuse for missing the festival), it was with much emotion that I set foot on the Asse plain to discover the 37th edition of the music festival. This year, I'll be experiencing Paléo from two different point of views; as a normal festival goer but also as a performing street artist, with Nyon's local circus school, l'Elastique Citrique. I'll be writing more about that later on in the week. Let loose from an afternoon of bringing smile to people's faces and wreaking a little mischief, I set off to rediscover the grounds. The evening was warm, and people were happily strolling about, sitting down for something to eat, or (im)patiently waiting for the next concert to start on the main stage. Photos above and below - by Jonas Parson Last year's mud seems to be on everyone’s mind (Daniel Rossellat, Président of Paléo even meddled with some sort of pagan ritual to ensure it wouldn't rain, making lots of wellington boots to the colours of Paléo (you can get a pair at the Paléo shop), explaining that it's when you get ready for bad weather that it doesn't come (Murphy's law anybody?) ), making this year's weather all the more appreciated. After listening to a few songs, I left Franz Ferdinand (see review of this in previous post here) and a big crowd who looked like they were really enjoying the Scottish band's efforts to rock the Paléo, and set off to try and satisfy my stomach's desperate calls for food. Food at Paléo is never a problem Food at the Paléo is never a problem, as the festival is packed with stalls offering dishes from all around the world to a famished crowd in search of something to entertain their taste buds in between two concerts. It was time to reunite with an old favourite, the Paprika, a stall serving delicious Indian food -word must have got around, judging from the long queues to get served, but the wait is well worth it. To all of you fish and chip fans out there, note the stall serving... wait for it- Australian fish and chips, situated in the passage between the Oriental and Latin quarters. As the Village du Monde has been taken over by the Middle East this year, I'll be trying out a few specialities served there throughout the week-last night it was Palestine's only beer, a light blond , perfect for quenching your thirst. But Paléo isn't all about the food, so I headed off to the Chapiteau to listen to a bit of M83, a French electro band that are quite big in the States. The Chapiteau was packed out, people spilling out of it on either sides, listening to the music and watching the screens to catch a glimpse of the show. Photo above - Courtesy Paléo Festival - French Electro band M83 The concert started with quite some punch, setting the tone for the next hour or so of slightly ethereal but energetic music. The crowd was really up to it, and the further in you got, the more people were dancing to the music and reacting to the band. It was then time to the high-light of the evening, the never-tiring Manu Chao. He's been to Paléo before, and his concerts have always been moments of pure happiness, magicking the crowd into a wild frenzy, sharing a precious moment with the crowd. This time was no exception, and the 51 year old came jumping on to stage, setting fire to the crowd and didn't tire down for the whole show. Photo above - Manu Chao - courtesy Paléo festival The crowd danced to favorites like “Clandestino”, “Je ne t'aime plus”, King of the bongo” or songs from the Mano Negra (Manu Chaos old band) era like “King Kong Five”. He played nearly continuously, barely leaving time for people to breathe between two songs, sometimes even switching directly from one song to the next. Right up front, the dancing was fierce, as people bounced of each other in a confusion of music, sweat and dust, all in a very goodhearted way. The end of the concert left us aching from the dancing, with an exhausted grin on our faces, and a nice ending to the evening. Photo below - Jonas Parson. Living in Nyon concert reviewer.

Great news for film fans! From Tuesday 5th June and from every Tuesday evening onwards there will be English speaking movies shown in Nyon! This has been made possible by the recent installation of new digital screening technology at the cinema which will enable film fans to see recent releases without having to travel to Geneva Morges or further afield. Some films will also also be shown in 3D (the next one shown in 3D will be "Men in Black"). Mr Jean-Pierre Grey who is responsible for the programming of films at the Nyon cinema and the luxury Astor cinema in Geneva, told La Côte newspaper that this "new technology will ensure a more diversifed programme of films to be shown in the cinema in the future". See list of upcoming films below and the cinema's own website here.

Photo above - tulips in Nyon's lake side park. There are some spaces left at the next event for expats on Tuesday the 22nd May in Nyon. This evening which is being organised by Nyon tourism, Migros école-club and Living in Nyon, is a chance for newly arrived (and not so new!) expats to meet and get together, to discover excursions that can be done on public transport , to learn how to use the Swiss transport system, all rounded off with a glass of wine at the end of the evening to mingle and chat. See previous post for full details. The event will run from 19:00 to 21:00 and begins at Nyon railway station. Please email zalokar@nrt.ch to register. Garden Show It's the big "Jardins en Fête", garden show in Coppet this weekend (11- 13 May) the seventh edition that will take place in the park and grounds of the Château de Coppet. This year the theme is the "Natural Garden". There will be 130 exhibitors at this show, gardeners giving gardening advice, garden furniture, sculptures, gardens in competition and much more! See website for full details. Here's a video from last year's show. Let's hope the rain holds off!

Photo above: Trifle and cakes after the special jubilee La Côte Anglican church service in Gingins.Living in Nyon at Book Fair in Nyon on Sunday, "So British" event in Crassier, English Cinema and Caribana this week, Afternoon Tea in Rolle and Trélex, English Theatre and more! There's a lot happening in the month of June around the Nyon and Vaud area. Here are a selection of events for you in chronological order. Firstly on Tuesday 5 June at 20:30, it's the first of the English movie nights in Nyon at the Capitole cinema with the screening of Titanic in 3D! For more details of this and future films, see website here To read about this new development at the cinema, see previous post here. On Wednesday 6 June at 14:00 there will be the official opening of an exhibition entitled "So British", which will showcase British, culture, tourism, sports and English products. The opening will take place at the Léman Centre in Crissier in the presence of Mme Imogen Wiles - Representative of the British Embassy. Photo above: The Heidi's Bakery's "Jubilee" Stall at the Spring Fair in Nyon last Saturday. At 14:15 there will be a presentation of activities organised in Suisse Romande to celebrate this special year of the "Queen's Diamond Jubilee" by Pamela Walsh OBE and Mr Farrol Kahn from the Swiss Romande branch of the British Residents Association. At 14:30 there will be wine and nibbles with entertainement from the big band "Big Lo Acoustic Sensations" and a London bus tour across the west of Lausanne. Also present, the Cricket Club of Cossonay and the Mini Club Romand. Also on Wednesday 6 June, it's the first night of Caribana down at Crans sur Celigny! Bands on the line up for this first night are Pony, Pony, Run, Run, Gossip, Kyasma, The Rambling Wheels, Mother Rockers and the Cyborgs. Tickets were still available at the time of this post being published. Check the full programme here for the full five days Other headline acts this week include, Kasabian, Lou Reed, Charlie Winston and more. Living in Nyon at Book Fair This Sunday come and say "hello" to the Living in Nyon editor at the Book Fair in Nyon at the "English Writers" stall where she will be selling and signing copies of her book - "Living along Lac Léman". This book is a selection of English columns that have been published in la Côte newspaper together with photos. It is a light hearted look at living along the shores of Lake Geneva. Photographer Alistair Scott. Also on the English stall will be Alistair Scott, author of the "Greatest Photography Tips in the World", who will also be signing books on the day. See Alistair's website here. There will be other books for sale by local English writers. The stall can be found next to the famous Italian gelateria (ice cream shop) down on the Rive. Coming up next week 14, 15 and 16 June GAOS (The Geneva Operatic Society) present "From Flappers to Rappers" celebrating 100 years of Music Hall at the Salle de Spectacles in Founex at 20:00. On Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 June from 09:30 to 17:00 there will be cakes and flowers on sale at Route de Grens 1 in Trélex, where the Heidi Bakery ( photo above) will be joining forces with R, Jaggi Florist for an event called "Fleurs et Douceurs" . More information to follow on this event. Also on Saturday 16th there will be "Afternoon Tea" served at the La Boîte à Thé 52 Grand Rue in Rolle from 16:00 to 18:00. An assortment of sandwiches, scones, and mignardises maison on offer. Reservations required - call 021 4685 or email rolle@laboiteathe.chMacbeth in English Advance notice on the 21- 23 June William Shakespeare's "Macbeth will be performed in the grounds of the Château de Prangins in the court yard. More info here.

Check out the fun "So British Exhibition" at the C0-op Léman centre in Crissier near Lausanne. Stock up on British products, admire an E-type Jag, play a Sherlock Holmes game, read all about British sports, get your photo taken as a British bobby, ride a red London bus and find out about Cossonnay cricket club. Photo above: Tom Bews young cricketer This exhibition finishes on the 16th June but is touring the country and is scheduled next to be at the Co-Op centre in Allaman later on this year. Other events this weekend - see below Photo above - Michael Type of the British Residents Association of Switzerland Fête de la musique This Saturday 16 June it's the Fete de la Musique, lots of free music being played in venues across Nyon from 10:00 in the morning until 02:00 in the early hours of the morning. Rock, rap, funk, jazz, classical, PDF of the full programme hereBol D'or Also this weekend it's the Bol D'or Mirabaud yacht race, the biggest regatta in Europe. 500-600 boats on the lake all racing from the Geneva end of the lake to the other end and back. It's an impressive sight! The race begins at 10:00 am on Saurday and you should be able to see the boats on their way down the lake from the Nyon lake side. See full programme hereTheatre Saturday - Final night of the show "Flappers and Rappers" in Founex celebrating 100 years of music hall. See here for more infoArt Exhibition Sunday 17 June Art exhibition at the Gallery of the Clinique Genolier by local artist Rita Mancesti from 14:00-18:00 Exhibition entitled "Du Côte de la lumière" . Cupcakes and flowers The Heidi Bakery and Rémy Jaggi, florist and horticulturist will be in Trélex Saturday 16 and Sunday, 16 & 17 June from 9.30 to 17.00 with an event called "Fleurs et Douceurs". Flowers and cakes showcased in Rémy's flower shop and garden centre. Browse and buy perennial plants, stunning bouquets or simply sit on a bench under a tree with a cup of coffee or tea and a sweet treat from The Heidi Bakery's Pop-Up Café.

A reminder to readers that tonight (Tuesday 19 June) it's the English movie night at the cinema of Nyon. The film to be schown is "My Week with Marilyn". The film portrays the making of the 1957 film "The Prince and the Showgirl", and stars Marilyn Monroe (Williams) and Laurence Olivier (Branagh). The film starts at 20:30 See the cinema website here. There are two outdoor theatre performances on the calendar this week and both are taking place in the courtyards of local chateaux. Firstly in the wonderful setting of the Château de Prangins - "Macbeth" will be performed in English on Thursday 21, Friday 22 and Saturday 23 June 2012 at 20:00. Sadly this will be the last of the series of professional English-language theatre performances brought to the Geneva area by Howard Productions. See here for ticket availability. All tickets are CHF 40 and seats are not numbered, - first come, first served! Meanwhile over at the Chateau of Coppet from the 18th to 24th June, there will be a performance of "Autour de Madame de Stael". Read more about the life of this fascinating woman in this Wikipedia entry (in English) here. Ticket info on site here You can also find out more about her in this interview on Léman Bleu TV here below (in French).

Photo above - Happy Dancers at first night of Caribana 2012 The weather stayed dry on Wednesday for the first night of Caribana with an international mix of music on the programme. From "Pony Pony, Run, Run" from France performing on the main stage, to the energetic "Rambling Wheels" from Neuchatel, followed by "Gossip" the main headline act, the lake side festival kicked off in fine style. Thursday night acts include Kasabian, Everlast, Revolver and Gorillaz Sound System. Photo above - Mr Jon Fox from The Rambling Wheels. The band played a cool, funked up version of Lana del Rey's video games. Photo above - The main stage at CaribanaPhoto above - The Rambling WheelsPhoto above - Beth Ditto of Gossip Photo above - festival goer Lucy from Morges. Photos below, more Caribana fans

"This is the third time we have played here at Paléo and it's a great place, in fact, it's just beautiful", said Alex Kapranos, lead singer of Fran Ferdinand who kicked off the first night of the festival in style. Indeed the lyrics to one of their new songs "Right thoughts, right words, right action" summed up the atmosphere, the crowd gave a warm welcome to the Scottish band, there was plenty of dancing and singing and all was all "right" with the night. The playlist included old favourites: "Take me out", "No you girls" and new songs plus a fun, short cover of Donna Summer's "I feel love". A brilliant and tight performance from Franz Ferdinand and probably their best yet on the L'Asse grounds. See a glimpse of the concert and atmosphere in this two minute Living in Nyon video with a view of the crowd and the sky as the night falls, plus the band's final song (a drum ensemble!) Note: Video taken with Iphone, so the quality isn't as good if watched in "full screen" mode. Earlier on in the evening, Swiss rock band 7 Dollar Taxi from Lucerne played to an appreciative crowd in the Detour tent. Photo below of the band's lead singer. This band are beginning to make a name for themselves and there were even some fans in the audience who had travelled from Lucerne to Nyon to see them play. The weather continued to remain perfect all evening for music lovers to wander from tent to tent to discover all on offer at Paléo this year. Note, the new Paléo App Buddy (free to download) is a real handy aid with a full list of the bands playing each night, the times and venues of every concert and a brief description of the music, all in English! There will be a further review of Tuesday's Paléo by Jonas Parson coming up here soon. Photos below, the Paléo atmosphere in the sun.

Photo above (cnp) - Early evening on the terrace of Nyon château Did you know that every first Saturday of the month (from May to October), Nyon Tourism organises a guided tour around the town for tourists, guests (and residents too!) to discover Nyon's rich cultural history? Tours are given in French, German and English, they begin at 10:30 and finish approx an hour and a half later with an apéro and snack in the wine cellar of the château. You don't need to reserve, just turn up at 10:30 this Saturday 7th July outside the castle. Price - Adults 20 chf , children free. For further information call Nyon Tourist office on 022 365 6600. Photo below - copyright Grégoire Chappuis - The Nyon guides Local farm shops and bbq spotsLa Côte newspaper recently introduced an excellent new information section called "Cest facile de.." ("It's easy to.."). The articles in this section provides lots of useful local information such as: "It's easy to... do your shopping at a farm shop" , this article is then followed by a list of farm shops in the area, produce on sale at each shop, opening times and contact details along with photos of the shops. Living in Nyon can certainly recommend "Le Panier Gourmand" on this list. This farm shop can be found on the road heading north from Nyon (direction Signy centre). See article here. There's another article in this section called " It's easy to organise a barbecue" which goes on to list (and provide maps for), some of the free open air bbq spots in the area from Chéserex to Dully to the bbq area in the Nyon Boiron woodland. Schools Out/ Useful book to take "home". Local state schools break up for the summer holidays on Friday 6th July and return on Monday 27th August. Many private schools have already closed their doors until "la rentrée" - this French expression means the return to school after the summer vacation. If you are an expatriate and heading off "home" to another country for your summer holidays, then a reminder that the "Living along Lac Léman" book is a great little present packed to take to your friends and family back home. It's packed with photos and articles to show them what it is like to live in this part of the world. The book can either be ordered on line here or picked up in one of the many retail outlets in Nyon, Rolle, Geneva, and Lausanne details here. Note - it is also now on sale at the Musée du Léman in Nyon down by the lake side.

Above: "The Specials" in concert. The heavens opened at Caribana on Thursday night with massive downpours, despite this the crowd who braved the elements enjoyed the second night of the festival. Vaud resident Michael Shevlin reported back to Living in Nyon; "It was a deluge! very, very wet and I have officially lost faith in Goretex, however Everlast was very good and he quietly attracted an audience and brought the house down with an old "House of Pain" number. Kasabian were utterly and completely amazing and it is one of the few times in Switzerland that I have seen an entire audience pogoing! There was even a very anarchic mosh pit. The set felt like a 30 minute set when it was, in fact, 1 hour 20 minutes. I wanted them to play the whole set again. We didn't hang around for Gorilla Sound System because we figured nothing would top Kasabian and besides - we were SOAKED!" Check out Michael Shevlin 's personal blog here to read his dry observations on life as a stay at home Dad, living in Switzerland, film, football, design, technology and more. Friday night at Caribana plus programme tonight Saturday and Sunday. Thankfully the weather stayed dry and the sun made a brief appearance for those who went along on Friday night for an eclectic selection of music and lots of dancing with the Drop Kick Murphys and Lou Reed from the USA, Brit ska/ reggae band "The Specials" Stephen Marley and Swiss pop rock group "Pegasus". This latter band are currently undergoing a wave of popularity, they were winners of the Swiss Music Awards in 2010. They wowed their fans and gained many new ones last night at Caribana. Living in Nyon predicts they will go far! See video below of their hit "Rise Up" Tonight Saturday on the programme : Grand Corps Malade Rap/ Slam, Charlie Winston, Pop /Folk, Keziah Jones, Afrobeat/Funk Rock, Vintage Trouble, R&B Soul/ Rock and Roll and more, see Sat programme here. On Sunday it's Caribakids from 12:00 onwards with lots on offfer for children, including demonstrations from the Football Freestyler John Farnworth. Mini boum (disco) for kids, bouncy castle, remote control buggys. See Sunday's programme here. details. Photos below: a selection of some of the bands performing on stage on Friday. C. Nelson-Pollard Above - Drop Kick Murphys Above and below -Pegasus Below - The Specials Security for "The Specials"