La Cuerda Floja – The Tight Rope -  An intimate and beautifully filmed story of people with "circus in their blood". Film review by Trish Thalman. This film can be seen again on Sunday night 18 April at 22:00 at the Capitole 2 cinema in Nyon. “What people want to see at a circus is a clown, animals and trapeze artists”. The wise words of the ‘clown/ringmaster’ who is head of the family-run, travelling Aztlan Circus in Mexico. Their show has all of the above. Everyone in the family is dedicated to defined, multi-tasking roles: from animal trainer, to ticket taker, to trapeze artist. We see an intimate and beautifully filmed story of people with ‘circus in their blood’ as they go about their daily lives, moving from town to dusty town in rusted vans and trucks creaking from the weight of the tent poles, miles of ropes, an aging canvas tent, the hair-sprayed ‘pink’ poodle that rides a pony, and a talented goat that rehearses every day and therefore does well at each performance. Practice and more practice for every one of the circus performers is daily routine. The ingrained philosophy is: "ability conquers danger". This keeps the circus disciplined, honourable and energetic. Click here to see trailer: film courtesy Instituto Mexicano de Cine The details devoted to raising the tent, caring for the animals, preparing beans for breakfast in the cramped, converted bus that is the family home, scrambling to find false eyelashes and rhinestones at the last minute for the trapeze artist are reflected in lingering, slow-moving shots as well as the frantic, blurred vision of ‘last minute details’ from the hand-held camera. The variety of colours, warm and luminous, dark and dreary, provide sensitive insight to the realities, passion and energy of the harsh, yet dignified and honest circus life, which is changing.The daughter of the family has married a young man who comes ‘into’ the performing family and is not necessarily talented in the skills of circus acts. He does have modern technology skills, as he happily downloads the musical overture from the classic 1952 film, ‘The Greatest Show on Earth, onto his iPod. The music is used as background for his noisy, voice-over, recorded publicity announcing that ‘the circus is in town’. Life under the big top and on-the-road is not for him. He would like to leave the circus in spite of his love and great respect for his wife and her family, and his improving juggling skills. The filmmaker is given free and unlimited access to the family and their sensitive life events during the critical stages where the young couple discuss leaving the circus to live another life together without the family. The confusing emotions of the daughter’s loyalty to her family and love for the circus that is her life, and practically, the consequences for the family’s existence without her are poignantly and tenderly resolved. Do the young couple have the ability to conquer the dangers that lie ahead for them outside of the circus. Even with the ever-present red ants that bite everyone at the circus ground, there is a cheerful, humorous solution: rub raw garlic on the bite to stop the stinging. This elegantly crafted film can be seen again on Sunday night 18 April at 22:00 at the Capitole 2 Cinema in Nyon. Trish Thalman is an American from California living in Gland, near Nyon and will be reviewing a selection of films throughout the festival.

It's the Spring market in Nyon on Saturday 28th, with lots going on in the centre of town. Shops are open until 18:00, there are stands in the street from a Morroccan souk selling couscous and mint tea and other specialities, to jazz bands to a second hand bike sale in the place du chateau (see post below). On Sunday there will be a mini Chopin festival of four concerts held in the Conservatoire of Nyon. The first begins at 14:30 and the festival will finish at 19:00 with a performance of  Sonata No 2 performed by Jean-Selim Abdelmoula, a former pupil of this renowned music school. See  site  for details.     Also on Sunday it's the monthly fleamarket along the lakeside.

It's the annual Fête de la Musique in Nyon this Saturday 18th June with all styles of live free music being played across various venues in the town. From Jazz, Hip Hop and Indie to Grunge, to Choral or Classical and Pop there's a large choice on offer for the public. Take a look at the programme here for timings and here for venues . Some of the bands have their own websites to check out their music in advance, such as this band called Mary go Round from Lausanne who are due to play from 18:45 to 19:30 outside the Château of Nyon.  Hostel in Nyon A hostel is due to open in Nyon in February 2017. There will be a six bed dormitory - prices for beds start at CHF 35 per person (showers on each floor), there will also be a double room, and a family room. Free kitchen facilities will be available along with a conference room and other facilities. The hostel will be at Chemin des Plantaz 47 in Nyon.  Although the hostel is not open yet, it will be taking bookings from June 2016. See website here.

Caribana night one - From "Polar Circles" to "Ska-P" to "The Pixies" The first few hours of the first night of Caribana began clear and dry and then the heavens opened on to the festival grounds. Despite the heavy downpour, it didn't dampen the spirits for many music lovers.  The enthusiastic energy of Spanish ska band "Ska-P " got the crowd dancing in front of the Grande Scène and the crowd were later rewarded with a 30 minute encore from the band. See a very short video of the crowd in the rain last night The weather began to improve and a rainbow appeared above the grounds and over the lake. Note: there are two bars for the public at the festival that give a view over the lake. The Cargo 16 and the La Plateforme (this latter bar is for  over 18's  only) Photos above - C. Nelson-Pollard. Later on in the evening "The Pixies" played on the Grande Scene. Two Living in Nyon readers give their verdict on the concert and the atmosphere in the crowd. "I first saw the band in 1989 and they were sharp as ever, mixing newer tracks in with barnstormers like 'Wave of Mutilation' and 'Debaser'. Lots of jumping up and down from happy 40-somethings in the crowd - although I did notice a bit more mild bouncing than actual pogoing going on!" Another reader said - "I could "Stay All Day", knowing the Pixies were in town. This iconic, indy-alternative rock group played to a specific audience (wearing rain gear and plastic ponchos). It's the music that was important here, not the show.  This can-be-noisy, fabulously complex music brings with it both a screeching Black Francis at one point,  and a mellow voiced Black Francis with the change of tune......"Here Comes your Man". How has his voice survived all these years? There was mix of their old classics and 'new stuff', which was received with polite applause and roaring cheers for what has gone before. "La La Love You".........The Pixies were splendid!" Photo above and below - "The Pixies" -  courtesy Rowan Unsworth Photo above - "The Pixies" - courtesy Sonia Dugué On the line up tonight ( Thurs 5 June) at Caribana are Kodaline, Miles Kane, Queens of the Stone Age, Aliose, George Barnett, The Crags See more photos below of the first night - All photos C. Nelson-Pollard Above: Left to Right - Alice from Annecy, Pauline from Chambery and Adrian from Marchissy at Caribana to see "The Pretty Reckless" .  They recommend the Crazy Chips stall - Fried potatoes on a long barbecue stick Photo above: The "Miss Caïpirinha" Bar -  a regular feature at the festival Above - A new feature at the festival "La Tonnelle" a wooden bar in the centre of the festival, a good place to shelter when it rains and also to watch the bands playing on the "Scène du Lac" stage. Photos above: Swiss band  Polar Circles (from the Lausanne region) playing on the "Scène du Lac" stage. Note: It is definitely worth checking out some of the smaller names including  the Swiss bands that play at the three Nyon music festivals - Les Hivernales, Caribana, Paléo etc, and at Nyon's permanent venues  - the Usine à Gaz, and the Parenthèse.  These bands often go on to be big names in the music industry-  "The Temperance Movement"  who recently played at the Parenthèse  are currently special guests supporting "The Rolling Stones" on four of their European dates. Dancing at the "Plateforme"  bar - There are different  DJs playing every night at this bar, playing late into the night.

Despite the cold temperatures last Saturday morning there was a good turn out of Gland residents who took their Christmas trees to the annual big "burn up". The firemen were on hand to control the burning and to throw the trees on the fire. The organising committee provided wine, hot chocolate, bread, cheese and sausages (cooked on the fire) for those that came along. A delicious sandwich "al fresco" and a great  idea! There are 24 photos below these two to give you more of a flavour of the event. Just press "play", it only takes a few seconds to load. You can even put them on full screen size too! Nyon news and events coming up in next post. Make a Smilebox slideshow

The term "trailing spouse" is often used when referring to the accompanying partner of an employee who has been relocated to a new country. Up to a few years ago, this usually meant a woman following her husband or partner to that new area. Today however, there are many male trailing spouses that have followed their partners due to a company move. The Nyon area is no exception to this trend.  Michael Shevlin is one of those male trailing spouses. He is also a father of two children and he moved to the Rolle area last year. He has written a very funny post for Living in Nyon on the learning curve of living as an expat in his situation. In this post he also gives tips and hints for other parents on places to take children for entertainment in this area.    Note: Living in Nyon event - There will be a "meet up" for other male trailing spouses on 8th Feb. Details at the end of this article. Now it's over to Michael... "When I first learned that my family was going to be relocating to Switzerland my mind was filled with hopeful thoughts of chocolate bars the approximate size of a child's arm; depositing large reams of untaxed money in a vault with one of the spinny, ship's wheel locks as barrel chested, germanic security guards eyed my every move and skiing to the shops. Alas, none of these deluded fantasies have sprouted legs and walked across the parquet, so I have had to console myself with a couple of bars of Frigor and a trudge to Migros...which is a bit like visiting the bank as I have recently put down a deposit on a steak. It's off plan, but I have been told that it is a great investment and probably something my children can look forward to...  As the Easyjet (now there's an oxymoron) flight rose above the English countryside it dawned upon me that I was now a 'trailing spouse.' The real star of show, here, was my wife; who had been headhunted and hired by a powerful conglomerate eager to profit from her communication and social media skills and I was merely human hand-luggage to be checked in at immigration or get crotch-sniffed by an indifferent Alsatian at customs. I would be Rainman to my Tom Cruise wife, looking on blankly as my worldly wife discussed unified string theory and art house cinema with the immigration guys...in  French . Not only did I need to get to know a whole new country, and new ways of doing things, I'd have to do it all in  French .  "I was going to be the primary carer to my kids" To compound matters I was also starting a new career; namely, I was going to be the primary carer to my kids. The poor little rascals looked at me with expressions of incredulity and amusement when they were told this news and to give them their due their expressions have remained remarkably consistent.  Now, whenever someone asks me what I do and I tell them they nod sympathetically and look for an exit....whereas before they'd say: 'Oh, you're an  animator ,' and their eyes would light up; whetted by the potential rich seam of pithy anecdotes an animator must have and how terribly  interesting  the field of animation must be (well, I've got news for you folks, it's pretty dull. It's twenty-five frames a second of graft, code and repetition.)  "You know what? I'm happy" So now I scoot around the Canton of Vaud with my kids through rain or snow, I freelance a bit, I write and you know what? I'm happy. Switzerland is like that. The people are refreshingly content; they're not showy or particularly materialistic (which is lucky, considering how much everything costs...) and they know that they live in a beautiful country which they enjoy in all it's seasons and I do believe it's rubbing off on me.  So, if I can de-weave the flowers from my hair and finish my muesli then I can impart my completely inconsiderable knowledge of the Nyon area for recently landed, trailing-spouse greenhorns looking startled on the tarmac of Geneve aeroport as their befuddled kids look at them and shout: 'WE WANT SOME LEADERSHIP...DAMMIT!' If you're struggling with Swiss life, your urchins or need to take them somewhere to have some fun or just to give yourself a bit of a break then here are some suggestions:  Ecole Migros, Nyon Such is way of the Gallic world that the accepted way to teach French is that a French person talks at you in French and expects some of it to slip into your feeble anglo brain and that you will speak French or forever remain a savage. Ecole Migros is probably the best place to learn and caters for all levels - from hand wavers to translators.  Signal De Bougy A veritable Mecca for kids with a huge playground, electric karting track, minigolf, indoor play area, cafe / restaurant and Parc Adventure (tree climbing with harnesses - s'awesome). Is wonderful in summer but can be a bit grim in winter with only a coffee machine and the sound of your kid's chattering teeth to keep you company.  Chavannes Centre,  ( Versoix Autoroute exit)   If you crave the mall then the Chavannes Centre is worth a detour. With a Manor (department store), a Fust (electronics) and the ubiquitous H&M it also boasts an excellent café with - check this out - a  playground  so you can sip your renversé and watch your urchins climb/plummet/fight without leaving your seat.  Divonne Market (every Sunday) No one does markets like the French and Divonne market is a very good one and I find steaks taste way better when you have smuggled them over the border disguised as a child's hat. Also, Divonne has an amazing playground and a Casino supermarché where you can buy 'disgusting' Anglo-American food like Marmite, Mint Sauce and Oreo Cookies.  Photo above: one of the many colourful fruit stalls at Divonne fruit market  Pfister, Etoy  If you can get past the fact that it sounds like a masochistic niche magazine, Pfister has an indoor playground that is supervised so that you can wander round and look at the furniture - and very fine furniture it is - or just have a coffee. It took me at least 6 months before I tired of using the name as a gag. Maybe a year.  Natural History Museum  (aka Dead Animal Museum), Geneva. When the rain comes down or it's too cold to go to a playground, kids like nothing better than wandering around a looking at dead things, especially dinosaurs. Museum shop is full of affordable tat as well. It used to have a two headed turtle, but it has been replaced with a bearded lady (joke! But there did  used  to be a two headed turtle...)  IKEA, Aubonne There is now an IKEA in Geneva, but the one in Aubonne has a supervised creche (which gives you an hour to buy tea lights and other things you don't want or need) and a restaurant with a play area. Chips, meatballs and self assembly furniture - what could possibly go wrong?  Ikea: A place to get those Billy bookcases and entertain the children at the same time. Outdoor swimming pools, Nyon / Aubonne / Versoix Summer is easy with the kids because you can go to these large, communal oudoor pools. They are clean, well supervised and traditionally cold - so bring a sun top or wetsuit for younger kids". Photo above: Nyon's own infinity pool - all for the price of a few francs For any readers who are male trailing spouses, there will be a Living in Nyon meet up event on Tuesday  8th February at Les Brasseurs pub in Nyon from 19:00 onwards . Michael will be there to say "hello and welcome" over a few beers. If you are a male trailing spouse or know of any others who are and would like to join him, please email the editor cnp at bluewin.ch  to have an approximate idea of numbers for this event. If you want to read more of Michael's wit and writing, you can follow him on his personal blog called Mr Shev. Link here

Despite the recent rainy and cool weather there are still plenty of signs that Spring has arrived here in Nyon. The council workers were planting up new flowerbeds around the town on Monday and down by the lake many people were uncovering their boats and taking them out on the water. There are lots of events scheduled for around the area over the next few weeks so here is a small selection for you.  A full list of events is published in the monthly agenda which you can pick up in Nyon tourist office or check out the back pages of La Côte newspaper. Don't forget there is another long holiday weekend coming up (Pentecost) so the shops will be closed on Monday 24 May. Date for your diary- next Tuesday it's Neighbours day in Nyon and Prangins, it's a great opportunity to get to know your neighbours, see if an event is being organised in your building or area. If not, why not organise an event yourself?  Look out for the posters or signs around your neighbourhood, check it out on the Nyon site. Wine tasting this weekend The first event on the list this weekend is the "Caves Ouvertes" on 21 and 22 May. This is chance to taste the Vaudois wine produced in  La Côte region as winemakers will open their cellars up for members of the public. In addition, each region has organised public transport from various pick up points so you can taste the wine and not have to worry about driving! There are some stunning villages along La Côte route and if you have not visited them, this is a great opportunity to see them and find out more about the wine and purchase some to take home. Here is the timetable of buses for Saturday 22 from various pick up points Walks The association of Suisse des Guides - Interprets du Patrimoine organise various walks throughout the year and this Sunday 23 May at 09:15 to 11:45 they are organising a walk along the Toblerone routes from Bassins to Begnins. This walk has nothing to do with the chocolate with the same name! The Toblerones are triangular stones which were used in the second world war as military fortifications. They stretch from near the lake side to the foot of the Jura mountains. More on the Toblerones on Living in Nyon later this week.  The cost for this organised walk is 20 CHF and 10 CHF for children 6-16 years old. Register with Estelle Divorne on 022 364 40671 estelle.divorne@asgip.ch See  the flyer Geneva Entrepeneur Network On Tuesday night 18th May at 20:00 in Geneva at the Pickwick pub there will be a Dragons Lair event based on the popular BBC TV Series Dragons Den. Organised by Geneva Entrepeneur Network . Networking from 19:00 Theatre 17-18-19 June Othello will be performed in the courtyard at the Chateau de Prangins between Nyon and Gland. Private terrace apéro and canapés. See Howard Productions Further afield in Geneva 1-5 June in Carouge Geneva English Drama Society will produce The Chalk Garden by Enid Bagnold. Written in the 1950s this play was recently revived in the West End od London to great acclaim. It is a modern parable about growing up and growing old and combines humour, drama poetry and passion. See Geds site for full details.

Nyon Tourism now has an App (go to “Nyon Region” at the App store). It's available free of charge, in French, German and English, and has lots of features including suggested tours to make in the area, information on local museums, lists of local restaurants etc.  Also, did you know there is now free WiFi at  both Nyon and St Cergue Tourist Offices? Other news The Far Festival (the festival of arts vivants /living arts) begins Wednesday the 8th August  in Nyon.  This festival is the fourth of Nyon's main festivals, (the others being, Visions du Réel, Caribana and Paléo).  Far brings artists, dancers storytellers and more from around the world to take part in the 10 day living art extravaganza.  Most of the performances take place down at the Usine a Gaz in Nyon. See here   for full programme

The world really does come to Nyon over the next week, as film makers, producers, film buyers and representatives from TV stations arrive in town for Visions Du Réel , the film documentary film festival. A view of the world through these doors The best part of this festival is that is not exclusive, the general public are also invited to watch the films which are shown in screening rooms across the town. Many films are either subtitled in English, or in English itself, or there are interpreters giving simultaneous translations at each screening. No ties or red carpet at this film festival, just an open mind There are many other events scheduled alongside the films, from debates to workshops to photography exhibitions. Ticket prices are per film (it is good value to buy a daily pass if you intend to see more than one film) Tickets can be bought 30 minutes before each screening. There's bar in front of the Salle Communale to have a snack in between films and another restaurant down at the Usine a Gaz. The festival seems to get bigger and better each year and in 2009 it has reason to celebrate as this year it is the 40th edition of an event that started in 1969 and the 15th anniversary of Visions du Réel itself. There are over 1,500 films entered so its a Herculean task to choose and whittle it down to the 153 that are shown. Some of these films are entered into competition and the end of the festival, juries announce the winners in various categories. Local schools also get involved with special screenings of film for classes. Living in Nyon caught up with the festival director Mr Jean Perret a few weeks ago. "What makes this festival unique, is its international flavour, this year, like every year, we have films from all over the world covering a myriad of subjects. Important events such as the fall of the Berlin wall, and the state of Europe since then, will be the focus of debate amongst film makers from the former GDR. Other events include the Kazakh film maker Sergey Dvortsevoy coming to Nyon to talk about his work, (he won his first international prize in Nyon in 1995 and the prize money helped him to support his family for six months).The festival is proud to have had many film makers show their first films here only for them to go on to be successful in their careers. There's a workshop with some Lebanese film makers and there will be a retrospective of films made by U.S filmmaker Susan Mogul and the opening film on Thursday night is from Venezuela so this festival crosses all borders. We have a film called Traders on the very topical subject of those that work in the stockmarket. As it is a celebratory year, we have also asked film makers for a haiku in film-three shots of their view of the world". From tomorrow there will be reviews on Living in Nyon on some of the films available to see. The full programme is available as a PDF file on the Visions Du Réel site or the printed brochures can be found at outlets across the town, such as the tourist office, the cinema. The brochures ready and waiting for all film fans by the cinema with reflection of Nyon.

Tis' the season for Christmas markets and this weekend there are Christmas markets all day on Sunday 6th December in Nyon (by the lakeside) and from 09:00-17:00 in the Grand Rue in Gland and also from the 2nd to the 6th December in Coppet in the old stables of the Château.

The Summer issue of Hello Switzerland magazine is now out and it has Nyon on the front cover!  This magazine is FREE on subscription and it is published four times a year. It features articles on Swiss culture, tourism, politics, and covers events across the entire country and it also has a section on Romandie. This summer's issue features an article entitled "Restaurants and bars with a great view in Romandie", an article called "Soundtrack to Summer" on Swiss bands to watch out for at the summer music festivals. There is a special feature called " Cheap as  Chips "  Frites" all about discovering Switzerland on the cheap (yes it is possible!), there is news from Nyon tourist office, an interview with a Swiss film maker,  and a feature on the Quartiers des Bains in Geneva,  there's  "Brief News" from Romandie and a comprehensive  "What's On" section throughout the whole of Switzerland.   This summer issue also has a competition for readers and one of the prizes is a two night stay for two (breakfast included) in a Swiss budget hotel of the winner's choice. There is lots more in the magazine, so check it out!  Here is the link to the site  and here's the link to subscribe  to receive your copy.

Nyon Tourism has recently added a new tour to its list of guided tours of the town and surrounding area. The "Gourmet Tour" aims to introduce visitors and newly arrived residents to locally produced food. The tour begins with a couple of "taster" stops at local businesses followed by a light meal with wine at a typical Vaudois restaurant. The tour begins with an explanation by a tourist guide of the different varieties of fish that can be found in the lake and that can be consumed. This is then followed by a stop in a local butcher for a taste of dried meats and an explanation of the produce on offer, followed by a trip to the local cheesemonger with a tasting of a selection of local cheeses.   The trip then moves through the town with a short stop by the statue of Julius Caesar where you can hear about the kind of food that was eaten in Nyon during Roman times! The end of the tour finishes in a local restaurant for a light meal and wine and a convivial atmosphere!  The tour runs every Thursday at 18:00 during May, June and September, reservations necessary (two days in advance). The tour costs 38 CHF and last approximately two hours and can be conducted in French, English, German, Swiss German, Italian and Spanish. This tour is one of many others that Nyon tourism has on its itinerary, others include "Julius Caesar in Nyon", "In the Traces of Tin Tin" tour, and more.  For more information, contact Heidi Müller at Nyon Tourism  via email -   info@nrt.ch. You can contact her in English in your email.