Did you know that in the summer months it is possible to have dinner in Yvoire in France and you can still return to Nyon in Switzerland for a "digestif?" If you take the 19:20 ferry from Nyon you can arrive in Yvoire just 20 minutes later in time for dinner, have a quick wander round the pretty medieval village and return to Nyon on the 22:00 boat (the last one of the evening) to round off the evening with a digestif in Switzerland. Check out the Living in Nyon video below (just 41 seconds long) of the wonderful Nyon skyline that greets you as the boat makes its return journey. Listen to the captain announce "Ladies and Gentlemen, we are arriving in Nyon, this is the last stop, we wish you a pleasant evening and most of all - sweet dreams"! This video was taken on a warm summer's evening although the sound of the flag blowing in the breeze makes it appear windier that it actually was! Note: it is best to make reservations for dinner in Yvoire, restaurants here can often be very busy. One of Living in Nyon's favourites is the Hotel/Restaurant du Port in Yvoire at the waters edge and right next to the embarkation point. For CGN boat website and time table - click here.

Did you know that you can now shop for clothes on a Sunday at the Karen Millen store in Geneva? Not only is the store open on a Sunday for personal shopping (by previous appointment ), but Sarah Groves, the franchise partner of Karen Millen in Switzerland, will guide you towards the perfect outfit including shoes and accessories, whether you are looking for a whole new summer wardrobe, or just a couple of items. In addition she is offering a 10% discount on purchases to Living in Nyon readers. Photo above: Sarah Groves, happy to help her customers shop to find the perfect outfit and on a Sunday too! This Sunday private shopping concept is a great opportunity to shop in peace (and for busy mums to leave the children with partners for a few hours!) and to try on outfits to their heart’s content. The Rive car park is located near to the store and the store is easily accessed via public transport. From Cornavin train station take tram lines 12 and 14 to Rive, or buses 5 and 8 which also stop at Rive, directly next to the Karen Millen store. The Karen Millen store has been established in Geneva since 2002 and Sarah has been supplying stylish clothes to both the Swiss and expat community since it first opened its doors and is now one of Europe’s top stores. Sarah explained to living in Nyon, “Karen Millen is a designer name but our prices are not stratospheric, they are very competitive, for example, you can pick up a pretty summer dress at 280 CHF or 175 CHF for a skirt and readers will also be happy to hear we also stock clothes in a wide size range, from size 6 to 16. We pride ourselves on excellent customer service in the shop, it’s our mantra and the fact that we all speak fluent English is very important to many of our customers”. If you would like to book a personal shopping session on a Sunday and take advantage of the 10% discount to Living in Nyon readers (discount valid for any day, not just Sunday) then email kmgeneva@yahoo.uk, mention Living in Nyon, and happy shopping! Address of the Geneva store: - 7 Cours de Rive, 1204 Geneva, Switzerland. Opening Hours Monday:10.00-19.00 Friday:10.00-19.00, Tuesday:10.00- 19.00, Wednesday:10.00- 19.00, Thursday:10.00-21.0, Saturday:10.00- 18.00 Sunday by personal appointment. Tel: 022-3104201

Photo above: Ceramic pots on sale at the Nyon Spring Market in 2008 The weather has finally warmed up and there's lots going on here over the next few weeks in the Vaud area and a selection of events are listed below. Firstly though, Living in Nyon is delighted to announce that from time to time it will be collaborating with the website "Newly Swissed" with a joint exchange of articles and information. The logo of "Newly Swissed" is now on the sidebar of this site for you to click on after you have checked out the Living in Nyon news! There is lots of fun and useful info on the site, from "Cool Facts, Design, Language, and Oddities" to "Politics, Tourism" and more. The site is run out of Zurich by a team of writers and you can find out more and how it came about by listening to a radio interview with the founder Dimitri Burkhard on World Radio Switzerland here. Save WRS Incidentally, if you enjoy listening to World Radio Switzerland for its coverage of news, for the music and information it provides on all manner of subjects such as: business, features and interviews etc, then do read the section on the WRS website called "The Future of WRS, The Facts, Your Comments" . You can leave your own comments about the station there too. As you will read, the station is threatened with closure , so you might like to know there is also an online petition for the public to sign to protest against this closure - note, this has been created by a listener, an individual who is independent of the radio station. See savewrs.com Local News / Events happening this weekend On Saturday 2nd June, it's the Spring Fair which will take place in the streets around the town, the commercial shops will remain open until 18:00. There will be artisanal stands, live music, the opportunity to buy and sell second hand bikes (it is also Journée du Velo - Day of the Bike more info here), a bouncy castle for children in Place du Midi and other fun events for the family. Then from 17:30 onwards in the Salle Communale, the first event of the “Intercultural” weekend begins. The Fête de l’Interculturelle is an annual celebration for all the different nationalities that live in the region. On Saturday there will be a potluck supper from 18:30 at the Salle Communale in Nyon. Take along a dish or speciality from your region or country, and share it with others from around the world. This will be followed at 21:00 by a Brazilian evening with samba music and dance. On Sunday 3 June there will be music and traditional dance and food from around the world at the Place des Fêtes down at the Rive from 11:30 onwards. Also, a reminder that on Saturday 2nd June there will be a big Caribbean party happening in Eysins near Nyon to celebrate 50 years of Jamaican Independence. "Reggae, dancehall and Jamaican vintage music as well as calypso and Latin American beats will be provided by US based DJ team "Wyclef Refugee All Stars", flying in to Switzerland especially for this premiere event". Tickets will be available at the door. See link here Sunday 3 June - Archaeological event in the castle of Prangins - 10:00 -17:00 "Visit a Gallic village in the Roman times and watch a real battle between the Roman legionnaires and Gallic warriors. Lots of free activities for the family. Free entry". This info in English on this event was provided by "Know it All Passport" a site where you can find details of lots of other events happening in the Geneva, Vaud and Pay de Gex area. Click on the logo of "Know it All Passport" on the sidebar of this site. Caribana begins next week! Still on the music theme, also a reminder that Caribana, the first of the summer music festivals in the area begins next week on the 6th June. There are still tickets available for this 5 day event, performers include Kasabian, Gossip, Lou Reed, The Specials and more. See Caribana here Finally, an apology to readers due the fact this site was temporarily unavailable for two days due to a technical and an admin hitch in the system!

Last week Jonas Parson caught up with Nyon rock band "The Deadline Experience" . He began by chatting to Antoine, one of the founders and bass player in the band who will be playing at the Détour (i.e. the stage dedicated to promoting Swiss bands on the Paléo grounds) with their melancholic, yet feisty rock on Wednesday night. Photo above - "The Deadline Experience"- (courtesy Paléo Festival) Inspired by bands such as Jefferson Airplane and The Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Antoine (bass, guitar and backing vocals) and Romain (guitar and lead vocals) started The Deadline Experience two years ago, after a long time of playing music together. Antoine also plays bass for Anna Aaron (who will also be playing at the Paléo on Sunday), but as he says; “I've been and am part of other things, but The Deadline Experience is “my” project”. After their last band "The Thomas More Project" ended, they decided to do something different. “ The problem with the Thomas More Project was that there were seven of us, and it's really hard to keep so many people together around the same concept. So a few months after that ended, which was not long after we played at the Paléo in 2009, we decided to do something that would be the opposite of what we'd done previously”. A deadline became the band's name Antoine told me. “We wanted to do something on a smaller scale- just two of us to start with and most of all, we didn't want to depend on anybody, so we decided to do everything ourselves.” Antoine took up the guitar, they both started singing, and gave themselves six months to build a repertoire and play their first gig , a deadline which gave the band its name. “We then did a few more concerts, finding out how the audience reacted to our music, before recording a five track demo. All in quite a laid back way really.” A year ago, they decided to bring out an album, and after rearranging their songs, they recorded them in November 2011. Distributed by the Lausanne based label Irascible, it will be available this September, but festival-goers will be able to listen to the songs featured on the album at their concert at Paléo. While recording their album, the band took drummer Tom Guex on board; with a third member and an album ready to be released, The Deadline Experience is now ready to leave the borders of Switzerland to go and play elsewhere. Playing at Paléo - a good way to reach another audience "We've played in most of Suisse-Romande, and we've just had a gig in neighbouring France, but you really need an album if you want to find other venues elsewhere.” Playing at a festival like Paléo is also a very good way to reach out and touch another audience, while creating contacts with other bands. “Having your name up on the line-up alongside big bands is a good way to get known. People come without knowing you and discover something they hadn't planned on seeing.” The Deadline Experience also have quite a strong link with the Parenthèse (Nyon's permanent music venue), as they used the place to rehearse when they started the band. They also enjoy just hanging out there! Photo above - writer Jonas Parson Jonas Parson will be writing for Living in Nyon during the Paléo festival. You can read more about him in a previous post here. Jonas is also going to be one of the artists performing at the festival too! More on this coming up.

Photos above and below of band "Vintage Trouble" who played on the Scéne du Lac stage on the last night of Caribana for 2012. Brilliant R&B, Soul, Rock and Roll. Lead vocalist Ty Taylor, charismatic, great voice and energetic, a great choice by the programmers to round off the festival. Approx four weeks to go now until Paléo! but before that don't forget Nyon's own "Fete de La Musique" begins this week with bands performing all around the town on both Saturday 16th and Thursday 21st June. A reminder that tomorrow night it's English movie night at the Capitole Cinema in Nyon with the screening of "The Iron Lady" at 20:45. See cinema site here

Photo above: Daniel Rossellat, centre, president of Paléo, Laurent Essig, front, head of HES-SO The University of Applied Sciences Western Switzerland plus HES-SO students. This year the students have built a "city" out of fifty shipping containers for the festival's duration. "The sunflowers are splendid, the weather forecast is great so it's all looking good for Paléo 2012" said Daniel Rossellat, President of Paléo at the festival press conference today. The sunflowers that Mr Rossellat referred to are the field of sunflowers which are situated in the grounds and are an annual tradition seen at each festival. Below are a section of photos to show how the festival is shaping up for opening day tomorrow. More on some of the installations, an interview with a Nyon band who will be playing at the festival, and practical information for readers coming up soon.Paléo site here. A reminder that 1,500 tickets go on sale each morning at 09:00. See here Above - Putting the finishing touches to the main stage Photo below:Getting the press into the mood for the festival. Real olive trees on site in the Village du Monde area. This year the music in this area comes from the Middle East.

Yesterday the weather seemed to abandon festival-goers, as the sky was grey and it started raining in the evening. People looked slightly less high spirited - you can see a week of wild merry-making starting to exact its toll on some and the rain, falling quite heavily by now, seemed to dampen everybody's spirits. A damp start but the spirit of Paléo carried on But the dampness and general drabness of it all didn't last for long and after all, Paléo without any rain isn't really Paléo as Rodrigo y Gabriela came jumping on to the main stage, putting smiles to people's faces and chasing the rain away. Accompanied by C.U.B.A, a Cuban ensemble, made of a drummer, a bass player, a pianist, a saxophonist and a trumpeter, they gave an explosive show. Although they have made themselves known for their guitar duo-with nobody else playing with them, the addition of other (very talented!) musicians was really welcome, as it let them revisit their music and offer the audience something more than what they were used to – which is really what concerts are really all about. If you wanted to listen to the same exact thing they did on their album, you might as well stay at home and listen to it in front of a photo of them! It's strange to think that these two met while playing trash metal; they have come quite a way from such music, developing a unique style of music, but the overflow of energy is still there. When the musicians left the stage, leaving Gabriela and her rhythm guitar alone in front of 35, 000 people, it didn't seem to be a problem, and listening to her, it was amazing to think she was alone on stage; the combination of strumming and drumming making it sound like there was a band and not just one person playing. Mind blowing solos from the bass player They managed to find the right balance between playing with the band, with mind-blowing solos from the bass player and the pianist (not to mention the drummer!), but also playing alone, with the energy and skill that have become their trademark. They had the public clapping to the music, and although they weren't very talkative, they did stop to say how they were happy to be here and thank everyone. One last fun fact about the concert, that people paying attention might have noticed, was the recurring appearance of the same song- with which they started the concert- always in a different form, throughout the concert (I counted at least seven versions!). See video below taken from the Paléo festival blog site of both backstage and of the Rodrigo and Gabriela concert. Paleo 2012 - Concert frontstage avec Rodrigo y...par paleoThe Paléo Installations You might have seen the installations above the Quartier des Alpes. Similar in a way to what the Cie Carabosse did for six consecutive years, this year Monic La Mouche has set up camp on the grounds. Big corrugated iron structures and rusty sculptures that look like they have come out of some old abandoned factory, illuminated from the inside, give a very poetic touch to the area. The slope is a favourite spot for a lot of people, and although yesterday's slightly damp weather wasn't the best day for that, there are always lots of people sitting down among the sculptures, having something to eat, chatting with some friends or listening to the concert on the main stage. Finally if you are interested in photography, you can go and see the work of Paléo photographer Pierre Descombes, who took the photos that you might have seen in the book issued for the festival's 35th edition. They can been found in the Galerie, held by Paléo veterans, right next to the sunflower fields. His photos of the festival are amazing, and really worth checking out! Note: Reviews of Lenny Kravitz and other Friday and Saturday night concerts on this site soon.

Masts blown up in Prangins The photos on this page were taken yesterday near the village of Prangins. The two radio masts (each weighing 70 tonnes!), have been a landmark in the area for many years and were blown up on Thursday by a special explosives team. You can read all about the masts' history here. Alistair Scott, a professional photographer living in Gland was there to capture all the action. Alistair is the author of 'The Greatest Guide to Photography' and runs photography courses in English for beginner/intermediate photographers. Further details click here September is a busy time of year in the Nyon, Vaud and Geneva region and there is lots going on this month with events for expatriates and locals alike. Here are a small selection of some of these - more to follow. Firstly, this weekend it's the Morges Book Fair which takes place along (and on!) Morges lake side. There will be English authors present, readings, and more, see below, details here Job hunting? If you are job hunting or your partner is job hunting, then the International Career Fair, taking place on Tuesday 11th September in Lausanne will be a good place to start. This Career Fair is for everyone, but it is particularly aimed at the spouses and partners of relocated employees here in Switzerland. It's an opportunity to take along a CV, meet potential employers and learn about the local business environment. Entry is free however registration is required. Click here for more information. You can also hear more about the fair and its aims in a radio interview with Laetitia Tierny, head of International Link (the organisation organising the fair) on World Radio Switzerland. Click here Independent Schools Fair There will be an Independent Schools Fair in Geneva on the 13th and 14th September. See below

Nyon is a little quieter now that the majority of the fans who came to the town for Paléo have gone home. The signs for the festival are being taken down around the town, so that's it for another year. 2013's Paléo will take place from the 23rd to the 28th July, and the music featured in the Village du Monde will come from the Indian Ocean part of the world. This year's highlights This year's Paléo, (as promised at the initial press conference), was indeed a "grand cru" of a festival with almost perfect weather conditions for the six days, apart a few hours rain on the Thursday night and slight windy conditions on the final night. There were many excellent concerts this year. For the Living in Nyon editor these were: Franz Ferdinand, Sting, Holly Cooke, a band from Fribourg called mmmh! and the Egyptian Project concert, (there was a great moment when the group left the stage to mingle with the audience whilst continuing to sing and dance!) However, the main highlight for the editor was definitely the Caravan Palace concert. To get a glimpse of what this was like, scroll to near the end of this hour long video below (from around 55.45 minutes), despite the heat of that day you can see the energy and charisma behind the group and the crowd's enthusiasm and appreciation. Caravan Palace, Paléo Festival Nyon 2012... par paleo For Jonas Parson who wrote for Living in Nyon during the festival, there were also many good concerts, in particular that of Rodrigo and Gabriela (see his post here). Trish Thalman, (who has has previously written for this site during the Visions du Réel film festival), particularly liked the Lenny Kravitz's concert - see her review below. Lenny Kravitz At midnight on Friday, the damp, cool weather at Paléo was instantly dismissed from everyone’s state-of-being, when the dynamic, hugely gifted, ‘hot’ Lenny Kravitz appeared on the Grand Scene with his formidable musicians, and immediately warmed up the shivering masses with the opening note from his guitar and the accompanying strobe lights. My ‘Inner Rock-Chick’ was rejuvenated at that moment of musical explosion that flourished into a ravishing concert for the next hour and 20 minutes. Lenny pulled out the stoppers and gave it his all, for which he is well known, being generous toward his audiences with his music and charisma. He looked good too: stylish and elegant, wearing his body-hugging, black leather jacket designed to emphasise his finely honed, upper arm muscles. The play-list included many of his great hits: old, new and classics. Sure, they played ‘Believe’. Lenny’s voice seems to improve with experience and age. At one point, he gave it over to his superb horn section, which regaled us with a taste of jazz-funk-rock style of music. It was noted that one of the premier bass guitarists in rock music, Gail Ann Dorsey, accompanied Lenny with her usual brilliant playing and sublime back-up vocals. There were some ‘take-a-break moments’ without music and lights on stage and at one point Lenny stopped to have a cup of tea, or similar-type liquid. OK. The penultimate tune was ‘Fly Away’ with the audience loudly joining the sing along. ‘Are You Gonna Go My Way’ (with one of the greatest opening riffs in funk rock music history) closed the show. No encores. The energy and performance of the star and his enduring music rocked the evening….and, he looked sooo good. So a great year for Paléo and a thank you to all Living in Nyon readers who followed the festival via this site and who emailed the editor with your comments and own experience of the six day fest. Lots more on the agenda Despite the festival now coming to a close here in Nyon, there is a lot more to look forward in the town, there is always something going on, the Far arts festival begins soon and in the meantime, don't forget the outdoor cinema is now open and has a full programme of films to last until the end of August many of these are in English. Just a few hundred metres from the lake and set against a backdrop of the back of the old town, it's not a bad place to watch a film on a warm summer's evening!

There are four free invitations for readers to join Lloyds TSB Private banking for refreshments and canapés on a London double decker bus at the Classic Car show on the 6th October in Morges. This gathering of classic cars in a the lovely lakeside setting of Morges is now in its 21st year. In 2011 the event attracted more than 20,000 visitors and saw over 1600 classic British cars and motorbikes arrive from Switzerland, France, Germany, Italy, the UK, Belgium and the Netherlands. Everything from MGs from the 1950s, Austins from the 1930s, racing Jaguars from the ‘60s, and old Rolls-Royces and Bentleys. Plus a number of motor bikes, including classic Nortons, Triumphs and Royal Enfields. There are three anniversary celebrations at this fair this year. The MGB will be celebrating its 50th anniversary and the MGR V8 will be celebrating its 20th, These cars will be in a reserved area in the ornamental Park. The pre-war MG Midgets will be on display in the Chateau grounds. All other MGs will fill the ornamental Park. The LOTUS Elans will be celebrating their 50th anniversary and will be displayed on the Quay Igor Stravinsky. Motorbikes will be grouped together on the quay next to the Port. The first two readers who email cnp@bluewin.ch (please title your email "Classic Car Show") will be sent two invitations each to join the Lloyds TSB stand for canapés and refreshments on the double decker bus at the fair.

Apologies to readers for the lack of news over the past few days, the Living in Nyon editor has been over in London cheering on various teams at the Olympic Games including the Swiss rowing team at Eton Dorney! On Friday 3rd and Saturday 4th August, the village of Gingins near Nyon will be cheering on resident and athlete Ellen Sprunger as she competes in the Women's Heptathlon event at the Olympic stadium. You can read Ellen's own blog here see photos of her and read more about her in the Swiss press, here and here. The latest news on her performance (from La Côte newspaper) is that on Friday morning she had already beaten her personal best in the 100 metre hurdles. On the 5th August it is also her birthday, so let's hope she comes away from London 2012 with a medal for a birthday present! A reminder that the Open Air Cinema in Nyon continues until the 26th August. Tonight's film (Friday 3rd August) will be "On the Road" based on the novel by Jack Kerouac. The film starring Garrett Hedlund, Sam Riley, and Kristen Stewart begins at 21:30. The bar and restaurant at the cinema is open at 19:00 for a pre-film drink and snack. See the website here for the full programme of films over the next three weeks.

There are five free invitations up for grabs for readers to join Lloyds TSB Private banking for a round of Golf and to take part in their golf tournament on Wednesday 3rd October at the Golf and Country Club de Bonmont in Cheserex. To enter, simply email your name to cnp@bluewin.ch before 15:00 today the 27th September. Names will be put into a hat and drawn and winners notified on Friday am 28th September.