In addition to the big Spring Fair in Gingins on Saturday (see post below), there are lots of events happening around the area this weekend.  Caves Ouvertes - Mont Sur Rolle  Firstly, over in Mont sur Rolle,  it's  "Cave Ouvertes" (Open House ) in over 30 wine cellars on Saturday 21 May from 11:00 -19:00, and Sunday 22 May from 11:00- 17:00    See the website for more info. There will be a free bus provided from Rolle railway station, for those going to this event!  Event for children and teenagers in Nyon You may have seen the posters around Nyon for the cultural festival on Saturday 21 May called "En Mai fais ce qu'il te plait"   (roughly translated "in May, do what you want" !) this is an event for families, children and teenagers to discover some of the clubs and societies that exist in Nyon and to have fun at the same time. There will be lots going on in different venues around the town, such as dancing, circus performing, a big release of balloons, rock music etc. The event begins at 10:00 and finishes at 24:00!   See the website  for full timings of  the day - Click on "programme" for a full listing of events and venues. Woody Allen film on in Nyon Over at Nyon Capitole cinema, the film "Midnight in Paris" directed by Woody Allen will be shown in the original  English version at 16:15, 18:30 and 20:30 every day apart  from Wednesday Saturday and Sunday when it will be shown at 18:30 and 20:30 only.  This film stars Owen Wilson, Rachel Mcadams, Michael Sheen and Carla Bruni!  See the website of this film to  watch the trailer. Music - Jazz, Blues etc There's a Jazz group "Viaggo" playing tonight Friday 20th May at 20:00 at the Noviodunum club (below the Mumbai Bar restaurant) Place du Marché 1 Nyon and Saturday night at 22:00 its the turn of the  group "Blues Associates".  Free Entry At the Parenthèse in Grand Rue Bis 22 in Nyon, the group "Jasmina and the  "Golden Disko Ship" are playing at 20:00 tonight Friday 21 May and the group "Milk" on Saturday 22nd. "The Producers", on for second weekend running in Nyon The  GAOS  play "The Producers", is on for the second weekend running at the Nyon Marens Theatre in Nyon, see previous post for details.

If you are thinking of starting your own business in Switzerland, then you maybe interested in listening to some advice from Julien Guex, the Assistant Director of CVCI  (The Chamber of Commerce of Lausanne). He, along with other experts  are scheduled to speak at the Léman International Fair in Lausanne this Sunday 2nd November.  This fair is now into its 8th year and is jam packed full of information for expats and new arrivals to Switzerland. Entry to the fair is free but if you register in advance (before 18:00 on Saturday November 1st), you will be in with a chance of winning some super prizes! Prizes range from a stay  at a 5* hotel in Neuchatel to other prizes offered by Goldenpass Railways, Holmes Place in Lausanne and thermal baths in Yverdon-les Bains. There will be over 100 exhibitors  at the fair including Living in Nyon.   We can be found at stall number 59!  We will be there all day from 11:00 to 17:00  Come and say hello, it's an ideal opportunity to ask questions about living in the Nyon area. There will also be copies of the book "Living along Lac Léman" for sale at the stall. The books makes an ideal Christmas present, it's also useful for those who have just arrived here and want to know more about some of the customs and culture of this country. There will be workshops for children at the fair, an English book and DVD exchange, art exhibitions and more. Full details  and directions via car or public transport here See you on Sunday at the fair!

It's February and there's lots planned for Living in Nyon this month, including articles from residents on what it's like to live in the villages of Duillier and Bassins, and in the neighbouring town of Rolle. We also have an interview coming up with Braulio Mora, one of the youngest councillors on Nyon council. He was hoping to be with us last Thursday night at the "Swiss Politics for Dummies" night but unfortunately couldn't make it due to unforeseen circumstances. Thank you very much indeed to everyone who sent emails saying how much you enjoyed the evening*,which is very good to hear. I will reply to you all individually very soon.  Some of you are keen to know more about the local societies that you can get involved with, so I will endeavour to feature some of them here. As I understand it there are over 86 clubs and societies in Nyon alone, so there will be plenty to write about. There is obviously a demand for this kind of event in Nyon for Anglophones, so I will work on the next one (after taking a bit of a breather!) and keep you all posted. Catherine Nelson-Pollard - Founder - Living in Nyon. * summary of the evening will be on this site soon written by a member of the audience

Friday 20th March - Blues concert - Zakiya Hooker (daughter of John Lee Hooker) will be singing tonight at the Château of  Coppet - Details here Writing Workshop in English  Saturday 21st March  -  Writing workshop in Geneva in English at the Geneva Writers' Group . The subject will be  " Writing Folk Tales".  See how "Once upon a time… " opens the door to storytelling. In the afternoon there will be a regular critiquing session.  Full details -  click here Also on Saturday 21st March -  Swedish singer "Big Fox" (see video below) playing at the Parenthèse bar in Nyon's old town. Full details here plus, "Spring Market" in the village of Bogis Bossey from 10:00 -14:00, Welsh cakes for sale at the market!   Full details here plus also on Saturday   "Burning the Bonhomme of Winter and Welcoming the Spring Party"  down by the lake in Nyon at 17:30 Organised by the Bains de 3 Jetées organisation.   Click here Sunday 22nd March -  Classical recital -  Violin and Piano at 17:00 at the Conservatoire of Nyon along the lakeside. Full details  - click here Sunday 22nd March  - Easter Market in Nyon from 08:00 -18:30  Easter Market - Stands, Easter products, local products. Festichoc in Versoix - Fabulous festival dedicated to all things chocolate!   See here   Great day out for the family and chocolate lovers. Jazz Apero and  Sunday Fondue Chinoise -  Two events coming up in the atmospheric wine cellar of Nyon's castle. Thursday 26 March  - Jazz Apero -  Duo of two guitars with  Killian Perret-Gentil and Etienne Loupo. Doors open 17:00, music at 18:30 Sunday 29th March -  Fondue Chinoise from 12:00  32 CHF for a variety of meats, sauces, served with rice and fruit salad. Reservations taken until 26th March Full details - click here Selma will be the  Monday Movie in English on 23rd March at Nyon Cinema screening at 20:30  - Film on the Martin Luther King civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery. Video below  Details here

A big thankyou to all 100 of you (plus Jordan and the four councillors and the member of the Municipalité) who came last night to the "Swiss Politics" for Dummies evening. The evening turned out to be so popular, there was even a waiting list for it. So, for those of you who were on this list I have asked a member of the audience to write a brief summary of what Jordan Davis and the councillors said, and this will be on this site in the next couple of days. As there obviously is a demand for these kind of evenings then Living in Nyon will organise another event on a similar theme in the future, so watch this space!

Although the Paléo music festival doesn't start until the 20th July, this year is a special year as it celebrates its 35th anniversary, so next Saturday 17th July the town will be treated to a special "free" Paléo day and several street theatre companies will be performing in the town centre on that day. The party begins at 18:00 in Place Perdtemps. Later in the evening, at 22:00 there will be a show from the Plasticiens Volants called “Perle”, at the Place du Chateau. The company will then wind its way through the streets of Nyon for a grand finale at the Place Perdtemps, followed by a night of DJ’s, bars and restaurants. Note the car park at Place Perdtemps will be exclusively reserved for pedestrians so will be closed from Friday at 18:00. All remaining car parks (Duche, Gare, Combe, Martinet, Clémenty, Rive) will be operating normally. World Cup Over After four weeks of football, the World Cup is over and for those interested in the beautiful game you might lie to know that Howard Webb, the English referee of the final match was featured in a documentary called "Les Arbitres " which was shown here in Nyon at the Visions du Réel film festival. It was reviewed by a Living in Nyon contributor and you can read it here. Please note, there will be no posts on this site now until Sat 17 July Coming up soon on Living in Nyon, the programme for next season's music concerts at the Usine a Gaz, an article on working for yourself as an independent consultant, an article on the Internet technology club of Nyon, the latest news on local politics and much more!

Have you recently moved to Nyon or a nearby town and village in the la Côte area?   If so - Welcome!  Here are some tips for newly arrived expatriates , some local expressions to listen to in a podcast , plus we have a competition for two lucky readers to win a copy each of the fantastic, special edition Know-it-all passport book which provides a wealth of information to living in this area. Also, a reminder to check out the English column published in the local newspaper every Thursday. Tips on living in Switzerland Check out these tips from other expats about how to make the most of your time while living in Switzerland. The Living in Nyon editor also passes on some of her advice (photo and interview number 5 out of 11).  This interview was published in Time Out Switzerland in June 2016. Photo above and below - murals on a Nyon wall. Any readers know where these were taken? Column in English in local Swiss Paper The Living in Nyon column resumes in La Côte newspaper on Thursday 8th September 2016 . This column is a light hearted look at living in the Nyon region through the eyes of a British citizen. The newspaper is in French, however the column is in English and is published every Thursday (usually on the back page of the main section). The Thursday paper is "tous-ménages" which means it is distributed free to all households in the la Côte area, so look for it in your letterbox. Reading a local newspaper is not only an ideal way of learning French, but also finding out what's happening in the area September Podcast now out - Know your Drinks! Talking of learning French, if you are interested in discovering local expressions, the Living in the Know September 2016 podcast is all about drinks - both alcoholic and non-alcoholic!  Learn the different names in Geneva and Vaud for beer and wine glasses,  discover the etiquette behind clinking glasses, not to mention how to order wine! Find out about the "upside down” coffee, a speciality in this part of the world, and what ordering a "pousse café" will get you! Competition to win a copy of Know-it-all Passport The Living in the Know podcast is a collaboration between Living in Nyon and Know-it-all Passport . First published in 1999, Know-it-all passport® is  the reference book for anything you want to know from shopping, housing and education to recommended birthday party venues, places to eat, and night life in the Geneva, Vaud and neighboring France areas. It includes pages of information about winter activities, where to go for public transport and much more. Maps of the area are a useful addition at the end of the book.  The chapter on outings and trips is a book within a book!   See where to buy your copy here This special 10th anniversary edition of the book has two new chapters Cook like a Local  which includes lots of interesting facts about local dishes and useful food-related expressions, and  Speak like a Local which clears up some of the confusion that can often over  similar sounding words. It provides a number of handy phrases to help you appear more confident when talking to locals. Even if you have been living in the area for years you will certainly learn something new!   Living in Nyon is running a competition for two lucky readers to win a copy each of the book (worth CHF38). Simply identify where in the region this photo was taken, send an email to info@livinginnyon.com, stating your name and email address. All correct answers will be put into a hat and winners will be notified on Wednesday 21st September.   Don't forget our other competition to win tickets for the upcoming season of classic films to be shown in Nyon in autumn/winter 2016. Please note: Living in Nyon is taking a late summer break and will respond to all correspondence from the 21st September 2016.

"Jaw droppingly awesome" is how a visiting Edinburgh university student, Carolyn Mckenna summed up the Prodigy concert last night, read her reviews of the first two nights at Paléo below. More reviews coming up of other bands, from your Living in Nyon correspondent. Carolyn - Tuesday night Another year and another great beginning. Wowed by the enormity of both the lead singer and the general performance of the American electro-pop group Gossip , the crowd, which was gathered in front of the main stage at Paléo were not be left in any doubt regarding the enormity of any of the headlining bands this year. Gossip - A "big" start to the week. The Kaiser Chiefs brought an indie vibe to the evening swinging tambourines and clambouring up scaffolding playing much loved hits such as "Ruby" and "I Predict a Riot". Take a step away from the main stage and you found yourself being drawn in by wafts of spices from the "Village du Monde" which this year recreates the sights, smells and sounds of India. I find myself forever impressed by such diversity and spirit at the Paléo, every experience is unique and special which is such a selling factor for an already very popular festival. I am holding my breath in anticipation for The Prodigy this evening, reputed as a group that you just have to see live. They are sure to be quite a spectacle and will not fail to leave a lasting impression on any witness to their concert. Wednesday night It was everything you could ask for in a final night at Paléo, (at least my final night at Paléo): the music was "superbe" the atmosphere buzzing and the company excellent. Something that I appreciate about the layout of the Paleo festival is that if you choose not to see a particular band there are plenty of places you can step away from the music and chill out. And perhaps this is necessary considering the electrifying performances which never fail to impress. First up were Franz Ferdinand , hailing from my homeland with toe tapping tunes and crowd pleasing enthusiasm. Stand aside all other worthy candidates however and make way for The Prodigy because there can be no doubt that only a list of adjectives strung together can begin to describe the elation created by such a group: terrifying, aggressive, hard hitting, exciting, passionate, unbelievably catchy, jaw droppingly awesome... I heard one fan mention that they had never felt bass so strongly and for anyone jostling around haphazardly infront of the main stage (and even further back at the back of the standing crowd) the bass certainly was penetrating. Undeniably memorable and a top three Paléo performance for me.

The finishing touches were being put to the Caribana grounds yesterday for the music festival's opening today. Headlining tonight are ZZ Top and Swiss band the Love Bugs. Although tickets for tonight are now sold out, there are still tickets left for tomorrow ( Travis and Chris Cornell ) and Friday ( Mad Con , Stress and UB 40 ) and other bands. See the Caribana site for full info. Transport is provided to and from the venue while the festival is on and the timetable is on line too on the Caribana site. This music festival is in a fabulous lake side setting and although it is smaller than its big sister Paléo, it has a great atmosphere and kicks off the summer season in style.

Westlake Church Celebrates 25 Years this weekend -  Westlake Church will celebrate its 25th anniversary this weekend, the 13th and 14th of October. It is an event that reflects on its past, celebrates its present and looks toward its future. The public is warmly invited to the Westlake Nyon church service on Sunday the 14th at 5pm. A reception will follow the service.  For more information on the church, see their website here *Nancy Heiman-Lind, one of the members of the church, tells us more. "Westlake is an evangelical, interdenominational, English-speaking Christian church in the midst of  French-speaking Switzerland. Our members come from a multitude of nations, with different backgrounds, cultures, languages and experience. Some members are Swiss, but most are not. About a third of Westlakers have lived in Switzerland for less than three years and about a third have lived in Switzerland for more than 20 years – the rest fall in between. Up to 20% of the congregation is new each year, so if you are new to the area – you are not alone! Our faith and our shared experience of transition, adaptation and integration are ties that bind us together. Photo above, the church building in the centre of Nyon in Rue Juste Olivier 6  -see Google map here The history of the church The church came about when just over 25 years ago, Philippe Berthoud a retired Swiss missionary returning from India, recognised the increasingly international character of La Côte. He had a vision to establish a church that would reach out to the English-speaking population on the western shores of Lac Léman. Westlake Church began in 1987 in the Salle Communale in Bogis-Bossey with just 11 Swiss and expatriate families. Today the Westlake Church Association encompasses two sister churches: Westlake Nyon and Westlake Lausanne. Westlake Nyon, located in Nyon centre, is a dynamic church that has 150 people attending Sunday services. Westlake Lausanne, an equally dynamic church of the same size, was launched in 2007 and is based in St-Sulpice. Photo above: Philippe and Wendi Berthoud The vision that established Westlake remains relevant and meaningful in our growth-oriented and international region. It continues to inspire Westlake ministries and service to local communities along the Lac Léman and farther afield. Westlake is evangelical. Teaching, whether from the pulpit or through any of Westlake’s programs, is gospel-based. Worship is in a contemporary style, with both contemporary and traditional music. A commitment to evangelism makes Westlake a genuinely warm and friendly church, within the congregation and as we reach out into the local community. To quote one of our members: “Relationship is what draws people to Westlake, and relationship is what keeps people involved.” Westlake is interdenominational and not linked to any specific denomination and  it is self- governing. People from Protestant and Catholic churches - Anglicans, Baptists, Presbyterians, Lutherans, Methodists, Pentecostals, Orthodox, Catholics, Messianic Jews and others – all worship together. Westlake is diverse too. We are multi-lingual, multi-national and multi-cultural. Many people have grown up or have lived in different countries through their lives. Members come from a variety of professions and backgrounds, and bring an amazing range of skills, talents and experience which are often offered in service to the church. Photo above: Church members running at a May group retreat We are also mission-oriented. Support to missions, both international and local, is an important commitment. At least 10% of the church’s income goes to mission activities. Westlake currently supports international mission projects in Rwanda, Romania, India, Kenya and Nepal, and supports local missions such as “ LiNK – The Au Pair Connection” and support to asylum seekers. Westlake also sponsors several missionaries. The church has a strong engagement with the organisation “Servons  Nyon” (“Serve the City”) which provides volunteer service in the region, reinforcing ties with the local population and bridging cultural and social barriers. Photo above: A church mission trip to Cyeza, Rwanda, a community with which the church has a close relationship and where the group built sanitary facilities for a local school. "From the first day we came to Westlake, we felt welcomed and included.  We had found a warm, supportive community that we could be part of." – Church member Westlake is dynamic. “We are allergic to boring.” A range of ministries, programmes and activities connect with a wide variety of people by meeting varied interests and needs. In addition to weekly church services which include crèche and Sunday school, Westlake offers opportunities for learning, growth, prayer and fellowship through men’s bible study, women’s bible study, home groups, family ministries, young adults and student groups, and youth and children’s groups. “Westlake is a diverse group of people, living real life together… There is something for everyone.” Westlake is for you. Whether you are long-term resident, new to Switzerland, here for a short stay  and want to learn more about Christian beliefs, values and faith, we welcome you.  25 years ago, Westlake Church started with a vision to reach out to the English-speaking population on the western shores of Lac Léman with Christian teaching and fellowship. This vision still shines .  Please join us. You will find a warm welcome”. *Nancy has been living in the region for 20 years.  As a certified Cross-Cultural trainer, she gives seminars on cross-cultural issues. All photos above, courtesy of Westlake Church.

Tomorrow night, Thursday 18th September, readers of this blog will have the opportunity to meet, have a drink and get together in the centre of Nyon. This will be the first event in what hopefully,will be many more to come.Between 18:30 and 20:30 the tea room Bibliothee will be opening its doors for Living in Nyon readers. I will be there and I have invited other folk to come too, some who have been living in Nyon and the area for a while, so they will be on hand to give advice on various aspects on life here. There also will be an opportunity to buy the book " Know it all passport" which is an invaluable guide book and source of information. This evening is open to everyone who lives in the area or is about to move here. Do pass the message on and invite friends and colleagues. Come at any time between 18:30 and 20:30. At around 19:15 I will probably give a very short introduction to the other folk there, but essentially its is going to be an informal evening, an opportunity to ask questions and to meet new folk. If you have any more questions about the evening then email me on cnp@bluewin.ch How to find the tearoom. Either go to the the Bibliothee website for full directions and a map. or t he address is 1, chemin de Crève-Coeur (Ecole Club Migros), 1260 Nyon.It's below La Combe Shopping centre. Walk out of revolving doors at the entrance to the centre, turn right and walk past the sign saying "Bibliothèque de Jeunesse". Carry on further down to the Silhouette sign, here you will see the sign Migros Ecole and BIBLIOTHEE is next to it. Go in through revolving doors turn left past the Migros Ecole reception and voila! See you there! A demain!

There will be approximately three months of roadworks between the intersection of the Chemin d'Eysins and de la Fontaine (near the shopping centre Porte de Nyon). For full details and a map of the roadworks planned see here. http://www.nyon.ch/fr/actualite/reamenagement-du-carrefour-a-lintersection-des-chemins-deysins-et-de-la-fontaine-691-93312 The box office is now open for online bookings for the musical Cats - the next Geneva Amateur Operatic Society production. See http://www.gaos.ch