After two days of very hot weather, Thursday was a bit cooler, and rain threatened during the evening. But the combined efforts of the bands playing that night and the enthusiastic crowd kept the worst at bay, and after a bit of rain in the early evening, the sun came back out to shine on the 45000 heads gathered at l'Asse. The weather made it a lot more bearable, the rain stopping the dust from rising up in the air. A long way from Wednesday's heavy metal, Thursday was definitely calmer, the evening kicking off with two reggae concerts. A regular at Paléo, Tiken Jah Fakoly played his politically charged albeit slightly repetitive music to a good crowd in front of the main stage. Clad in his traditional garb and sporting a long staff, he sang of peace, love and the colonial ravages of Africa. He finished off with a slightly cliché cover of Bob Marley's " Get up Stand up ". Photos above - C. Nelson-Pollard The highlight of the evening was Sharon Shannon 's amazing accordion skills. I grew up listening to her music, so when she was announced at Paléo, I was really excited! The result was an evening where reality exceeded my expectations! Although her actual concert was later on under the Dôme, she was scheduled to play a more intimate set on the small stage of the “Tour Vagabonde”, the replica of the Globe theatre set up in the middle of the Village du Monde. It is not only a good place to get a beer and escape from the sun (or the rain, depending), but also hosts small 20 minute sets of bands playing during the evening at the Dôme. (Find the program here )It's a perfect way to rediscover a band in a more intimate setting, or to get a second chance to see a band you missed because you were eating a waffle on the other side of the festival, or trying to watch three other concerts at the same time! Sharon Shannon was absolutely amazing, and came on stage with the widest smile ever, greeting everyone in her fast and high-pitched Irish accent. Enchanting the crowd gathered in front of the stage and at the railing in the galleries with her agile accordion skills, she kept smiling in the most amazing way to every body. In this magical wooden setting, she looked elf-like with her wide grin and white dress. She seemed absolutely delighted by the venue, and would obviously have kept playing for more than twenty minutes, if she'd been allowed to. Short video below. Bursting with joy and wonder She was on stage later on with a whole band, and it was hard to decide who was having the most fun, the crowd dancing to her enchanting reels or her watching the crowd and obviously loving every moment of it. Someone had brought along a large number of coloured balloons and the kept bouncing up over the crowd. It made for a very nice scene, but was slightly more annoying when quite a few of them started bursting with quite a loud bang! Her only reaction to that, was a genial “oh, those balloons sound quite like fireworks don't they?”. “It's been great playing at this amazing festival! I've never seen anything like it before!” she exclaimed towards the end of the concert, before adding “its been great, yuhoo!” Her presence and boundless enthusiasm were very refreshing. Such a generous person, she seemed to have the utmost pleasure being here, and kept clapping along and making huge grins and thumbs up during the great solo by the guitar/keyboard player, getting her kicks from the reaction of the crowd to some parts of the solo. A heart-warming concert that did a lot of good to everyone's ears and soul. Dancing at a 40 person party during Massive Attack Ditching the massive crowd ready to listen to Massive Attack , the band who created trip-hop, I ended up at la Ruche where Vladimir Spoutnik was playing. This wacky DJ played some great and slightly cheesy music to dance to, halfway between a DJ set and a theatre show, often coming out into the crowd to make people dance, while his very serious security man tried to keep a straight face on the side of the stage, even when showered with confetti. Wearing a shirt several sizes too short and hair plastered back on his head, with a smoke machine decorated like a rocket and “A trip to the moon” by George Melies projected on a screen behind him, Vladimir Spoutnik created an engaging and rustic atmosphere. Kids and adults of all ages enjoyed his show, and the intimate and magic setting of the Ruche, while 40000 people were dancing to Massive Attack in front of the main stage. It's part of the magic of Paléo to create the possibility to go from one to another so easily, giving everyone what they're looking for. Vladimir Spoutnik performs every night at the Ruche, mostly during the last concert on the main stage.

The MANHATTAN SHORT film festival will be in Nyon's own cinema on Thursday October 4th at 20:30. Ten films will be shown in their original version with English subtitles and after the screening, members of the audience will get to vote on which  film they think is the best. Each  film is around 10-15 minutes long.  Over  100,000 people in over 300 cities will also be viewing and voting on the finalists films this same week. The  mission is to unite audiences across the globe for one week via the most compelling short films submitted each year . There are films from the Netherlands, Norway, the UK, the USA, Spain, Peru, Russia, Romania.  See site here to see the films that will be shown on Thursday.

Caribana, the first of the summer music festivals in the Nyon area begins tonight down on the lakeside in Crans sur Nyon. At the moment of going to press there were still tickets for sale for all five nights. The weather forecast is set to improve just a little this afternoon, but best take rain gear and wrap up well. There is always a good atmosphere down at this festival that it probably won't dampen any spirits!  You can read a little bit about the history of Caribana here . See all previous posts and photos (going back to 2008!) about Caribana here on Living in Nyon, or just click  on "Film and Music Festivals" in top side bar. The line up for this year is Wednesday -Texas, Marc Sway, Justin Nozuka, Kirsty and Lizzie. Photo above, Texas - courtesy Caribana festival Thursday - The Hurts, Interpol, Wolfmother, Plain White TS, Azazellbues Earthworms, MistyMiller. Friday  - Morcheeba, Plan B, OMD, Guess What, Solange la Frange, Guilluame Grand, Ndidi O.   Photo above, Solange  la Frange - courtesy Caribana festival Saturday - Abd Al Malik , Julian Marley, Kool and the Gang, I blame Coco, Medi St André, Ben Howard, Jaïlyna. Sunday - Caribakids, a day for families and children with music and entertainment. For more details of the festival, parking, map, free public transport options, timings of concerts etc see site

Then you might like to know about two groups of English speaking mothers in the Nyon area. The first is a group of mothers who met for the first time last week through this site Living in Nyon. They linked up through the Mamicafé link (see right hand side of this site) and then in person when one of the mums kindly hosted a coffee morning for everyone.. That morning there were quite a few mums who are new arrivals to Switzerland so it was a great opportunity for everyone to ask questions about living here. If you have just arrived in the area and are a mum or even if you have been her a while then check out Mami Café and join up, it's free! Members can post questions on the discussion board too. The other group of Mums is a group called "Mums in Vaud", they have a site with an active membership and they meet up from time to time..  Here is the link The founder of the group Michelle Eriksson (in photo to left) has kindly agreed to answer any questions about child related issues for Living in Nyon on the Mamicafé site and via email. She and another mum, a Living in Nyon reader will also be writing the occasional article with useful information on child related issues, playgroups, places to take children etc. More on this in a couple of weeks.

Reminder about Paleo and Film Review - "Buran" -  Haphazard clothes company, haphazard filming There are three more days of the  Visions du Réel  festival and plenty more films to see on the agenda. This year, the area (photo below) near the Salle Communale has a large covered bar/restaurant area which makes for a convivial meeting place to have a drink, eat and chat about films. This area is open to the public. Paléo  tickets - A reminder to readers that  Paléo  tickets go on sale at 12:00 on Wednesday 24th April! They usually sell out very fast everyyear, so get in-line or online early to get your tickets! Below is another  review of a film from the festival. Unfortunately, the film reviewed here "Buran" which was filmed in South Korea proved to be a disappointment for the Living in Nyon editor, however as this film will be shown again on Wednesday 24th April, readers still have the opportunity to watch it and judge it for themselves. Note: A film that may be of interest to  British readers also to be screened on Wednesday 24th at 10:00 at the Capitole  2 cinema  is "Start from Zero". A journey through different strata of Hong Kong's memory, this filmed essay explores a generation's childhood recollections during the last decade of British rule.  It uses images from the archives of the time - visits from the Queen, television programmes etc- "Buran" (Anxiety) by Hwanki Min Wednesday 24th April Capitole 1 10:15 The description of this film looked promising -  "Young designers leave their job to start an alternative fashion house, in the hope of creating an ethical label. Rather than adopting common practices geared at ruthful exploitation and profits, they hope to build a direct relationship with their customers based on fair trade principles". Photo above - "Buran" courtesy Visions du Réel Although this film began with an interesting start in which we saw the CEO of the newly founded ethical company pitching the company's T shirts (their material made out  of  recycled plastic bottles) to potential buyers,  followed by scenes which introduced the different characters working in the company: the designer, the accountant, the operations manager, sadly it didn't really move on from there.   Within the company itself there were many, arguments among staff themselves, arguments among the managers, long discussions on the companies mission, there were delays, there were frustrations of trying to sell products without ditching their ideals, but there were too many of these scenes, too many shots of staff sat around talking, smoking or drinking.  There were some interesting snapshots of South Korean life, as the film maker shot the scenes over a year of the staff going about their business in snow and rain, late at night  and socialising in bars around the city. Sadly these scenes were not interesting enough to hold the attention for  the 92 mins.  The company itself seemed haphazardly run, not unlike the documentary itself  and there were a few restless souls in the audience who were anxious for "Anxiety" to finish. Haphazard filming with heavy editing required

Tucked away in the side streets and hidden corners of Nyon, there are lots of small businesses that newcomers to the town may not be aware of. One of these businesses is the art gallery  "Espace Murandaz".  Previous exhibitions at the gallery have included the works of Laura Chaplin (grand daughter of Charlie Chaplin),   Pierre Montillo Ulie Schwab and sculptor Tauno Kangro . The current exhibition features the work of artist José Roosevelt  and runs until the 14th November. The gallery can be found very near La Combe shopping centre at Chemin du Midi 8 (this is the side street to the left of the shopping centre) and it is open on Tuesday to Friday from 14:45 to 18:00 and on Saturday from 14:00 to 17:00. This gallery is light and spacious both for visitors and for artists interested in displaying their work and holding exhibitions. Espace Murandaz Art Supplies and Art Classes If you are an artist and looking to stock up on art supplies, the Aux Beaux Arts shop in Avenue Viollier 15 in Nyon (very close to the railway station and near to the new Base Nyon hotel), stocks a large range of artists' material from pastels to oils, canvasses, brushes and pencils. Owner and professional artist Eric Baghatchadjian also teaches art throughout the year in a series of weekly courses. Classes are held in a studio situated right next to the art shop. These reasonably priced courses include: beginners sketching, pastels, watercolour, acrylics and manga. All ages are welcome. Eric speaks fluent English. For further info - email info@peacockstudio.ch Photo above - Artist Eric Baghatchadjian teaching a pastels art class Yoga Moves Nyon   A Yoga Studio for all ages Another business also in the centre of the town, is Yoga Moves Nyon . This studio can be found in Rue du Marché 10 (just opposite the restaurant Café du Marché ) This spacious yoga studio is open to children, teens, adults and seniors. Their certified (and enthusiastic!) teachers offer a wide variety of classes including Power Yoga Vinyasa classes, Prenatal classes, detoxing in a Warm Yoga class and many others. You can read all the biographies (in English) of the teachers, their background and their professional experience on the website. Click here for more info.

The La Côte  "personality of the year" Award  At the end of last year, the local newspaper La Côte decided to host a competition to elect the most influential personality of the year in the la Côte region. This competition was part of  the newspaper's aim to establish its role as an important player on the local scene. The final round of the competition was narrowed down to  five people - see below. Readers were  invited to vote for their favourite “personnalité de La Côte 2012”. Sport, Politics and Music The finalists selected by La Côte  readers come from various sections of society and regions, from Morges, Jura, Nyon and Gingins. Ellen Sprunger - Olympic Athlete living in Gingins Youngest of the lot, and probably the one with the most international exposure is Gingin's own Olympic champion, 26 year old heptathlete Ellen Sprunger. She won the title of "feminine athlete of the year 2012", and competed in the London Olympics last summer, where she finished 19 th . Alongside her athletic achievements, she is also studying for a Masters degree in sports. Benjamin Zumstein - Music promoter The next finalist is Benjamin Zumstein, whom Living in Nyon readers might recognise as the owner of La Parenthèse (see here for article on La Parenthèse) , the music venue in the centre of Nyon. Benjamin Zumstein lives a double life: financial investment counsellor by day, he becomes the programmer of La Parenthèse by night, turning Nyon into an important place on the musical scene, helping discover rising bands- many of which then go on to play at the Paléo Festival. Nurria Gorrite, Yves Defferard and  André Rosé - from the political scene The next two finalists share in common their socially committed political engagement- even though not on the same level. Nurria Gorrite , ex-”syndique” (the Swiss equivalent to a mayor) of Morges, is now a member of the Conseil d'Etat. From a working-class background, she continues to fight for the development of the region, especially when it comes to public transport. Yves Defferar d is something of a local hero in the events that took place last year when Novartis decided to close down its factory in Nyon. Trade unionist for Unia- one of the big Swiss trade unions- he was one of the people who managed to make Novartis backtrack and stay in the area. Passionate about travelling-as a way of opening up to different cultures and sensibilities, he is also part of Amnesty International. Last but not least, André Rosé . Employee of  Nyon municipality for 16 years, this ex-swimmer has always been extremely involved in organising all of the sports events- one of his nicknames is “Monsieur Manifestation”- ie “Mr Event”. Impossible to name all of the events he helped organise over the last few years; he was in charge of the big screen on the lakeside during the Euro 2008, he helped organise the first Fête de la Vigne in 2011 and many other events, such as the Swiss wrestling competition in 2001, or the numerous events at the Stade Nyonais and the Nyon Triathlon.   A joint victory The awards ceremony was held at the Usine à Gaz-  another important venue on the local scene, with a host of local personalities, and a series of concerts by local bands. Appreciated for their commitment to their respective towns and region by the readers of La Côte, Nurria Gorite and André Rosé were jointly elected Personality of La Côte 2012, with a shared total of 370 voices, thus linking Morges and Nyon ever closer. Quite a coup for the first instalment of what looks ready to become a new tradition in the area! Benjamin Zumstein also received a prize from the Commercial School of Nyon. Les Hivernales- Nyon's Newest Music Festival Nyon deserves its title of the "Town of Festivals", and in the past four years has added another to its list - "Les Hivernales". Thsi festival is spread out throughout Nyon in several different venues, and shakes the hibernating city out of its stupor for a week of frenzy and dancing through the night. Dedicated to the electro-rock universe (and its multiple and expanding sub-genres), the festival presents big headlines in its two main venues, the Usine à Gaz and the Salle Communale. But its success is due to the conviviality and proximity with the artists you can get in the multitude of satellite venues across town. From the Villa Niedermeyer on the lakeside to La Parenthèse , there are more than 9 different venues in which you can discover a rich line up of electro and rock bands. This year, Puppetmastaz, Naïve New Beaters or South Central will help you chase the winter away dancing. Les Hivernales Rock'n'Beat Festival takes place from the 28 th February to the 3 rd March. Check the line-up with this video , and get more information, including the full line-up, location of all the venues and ticket prices here . Apero Jazz at The Caveau de Nyon The Caveau de Nyon, situated under the Castle, is hosting a Jazz concert and “apero” on Thursday 28 th February, with clarinettist Gilbert Rosman and guitarist Marc Vittoz. Enjoy some nice music while discovering some good local wine in a nice setting in the cellars of the Nyon Castle. Booking Required. More information here

Campaigning is well under way for the local elections which will take place on 28th February 2016. There are posters on billboards all around the town and leaflets are arriving in letter boxes. There are also debates on the  local Nyon TV and plenty of column inches are being written in La Côte newspaper about who's who in the different political parties, their manifestos and missions. Every Saturday morning in the Nyon market place you will be able to see many of the candidates of the political parties at their respective stands (see photos at the end of this post). If you have any queries or comments about the upcoming election, or even have any questions about living here, this is a good chance to ask all the candidates your questions! Who can vote? Swiss citizens whose legal domicile is in Nyon are eligible to vote in the town's election. So too are "foreign citizens living in Nyon who have been regularly domiciled in Switzerland for at least 10 years, of which at least three in the canton of Vaud".  Living in Nyon readers that fall into this category will be receiving their voting materials in the post very soon. A first glance at the materials will suffice to convince you that it’s a bit complicated. There are of course, explanations about voting in French on the official Nyon website . This lists all of the names of the parties, the names of the candidates for the conseil communal and for the municipality. However, to help Anglophone voters here's an explanation below of the voting procedure. These explanations have been provided by Bob Jenefsky, Conseiller communal and President of the  Parti Indépendant Nyonnais . Bob has also provided his contact info at the end of this article if you need to ask him any questions. How it works The Conseil communal (100 councillors) is elected by the proportional-representation system, whereas the Municipalité (7 members, including the mayor) is elected by majority vote . The entire Conseil communal is elected in a single round beginning when voters receive their ballots and ends at noon on February 28 when the polls close. The first round of the election of the Municipalité also ends at the same time. If you are eligible to vote you will soon receive an envelope from the authorities containing materials for both the election of the Conseil communal and the Municipalité. If you are Swiss, it will arrive together with the materials for voting on the four Federal referendum questions on which all Swiss voters are being asked to pronounce themselves (St. Gotthard highway tunnel, compulsory expulsion of foreigners who have been convicted of crimes, taxation of married couples and food commodity speculation). It will be a big envelope this time! Here, we’ll only look at the election of the Nyon authorities, as this is the only one open to non-citizens: Conseil Communal The Conseil communal is somewhat akin to a city parliament (UK = town council), although it is not a true legislature in the sense that it does not make laws.  Candidates (Swiss citizens or eligible foreign residents, see above) must be on an official party ballot . The seven parties: from the “left” to the “right” of the political spectrum. The Parti Socialiste Nyonnais; the Parti Verts ; the Parti Indépendant Nyonnais (PIN); the Parti Vert’Libéraux ; (the Parti PLR). Les Libéraux-Radicaux ; the Parti Bourgeois-Démocratique (PBD) and the Parti Union Démocratique du Centre   (UDC) In addition to the official party ballots, you will also find a blank ballot, which must be filled out by hand, in the voter’s package. Perhaps you are a member or supporter of a party, or know one or more candidates in one or more parties and would like to vote for them.  It’s important to understand that you must first vote for the party and then for the candidates, in order to increase your candidates’ chances to be elected! Because there are 100 seats to be filled in the Conseil communal, each voter has 100 votes or “suffrages” to allocate (as you can see from the blank ballot, which has space for the names of 100 candidates).  The official party ballots have between 10 and 50 names printed on them. Some parties list incumbents at first, others list candidates in alphabetical order, and others list their candidates in random order: it’s entirely up to them. You have a number of options when voting: You can simply choose a party ballot and place it, with no changes, in your voting envelope, together with your ballot for the Municipalité (see below).  This is referred to as a “liste compacte” . In that case, the party will receive 100 “suffrages”.  When the ballots are counted on February 28, each party will receive the number of seats in the Conseil communal corresponding to the percentage it received of the total number of “suffrages” cast by all voters.  The actual seats won by the party will then be allocated to the candidates on its list in descending order of the number of “suffrages” each candidate has received as an individual (i.e. the total number of times each candidate’s name appeared on the ballots submitted). You can increase the election chances of the candidates you like by writing their names in a second (but not a third!) time by hand on the printed ballot (but not on the back!). This is referred to as “cumul” . If you have a preference for a particular party, but also like some candidates from other parties, you can vote what is referred to as a “liste panachée”: take the official party ballot, and add each of the names and numbers of the candidates from the other parties that you want to vote for, once or (at most) twice.  Each vote for a candidate from another party will be deducted from the maximum 100 “suffrages” going to the party whose list you’re using.  You may also cross off the names of candidates on the printed list if you wish (this is called “traçage” and only reduces those candidates’ personal chance of being elected, without deducting “suffrages” from the party). Finally, you can take the blank list you received and fill it in by hand with up to 100 names of official candidates (or 50 names, each entered twice, or some combination of names entered once and entered twice).  If the total number of names is less than 100, some of your “suffrages” will be lost, unless you write the number and name of an official party list in the upper right-hand corner of the ballot, in which case any remaining “suffrages” (these are referred to as “suffrages complémentaires”) will go to that party.  Remember to only enter the names and numbers of official candidates (i.e. those on party lists). Municipalité The 7 members of the Conseil municipal (they’re referred to individually as “Municipal” in the masculine, “Municipale” in the feminine and as “Municipaux “in the plural form) are elected in a two-round process: February 28 Premier tour (first round) In the first round, candidates for the Municipalité must receive the absolute majority (50% of votes cast plus one vote) to be elected.  Those not elected in the first round must face a runoff election on March 20.  Each voter can cast a single ballot containing up to 7 names, which may be those of official candidates or of any other eligible person (i.e. write-ins). Those candidates receiving the absolute majority on February 28 are elected. In 2011, 4 candidates were elected in the first round, leaving 3 slots to be decided in the second round. In the first round, you are allowed to vote for a maximum of 7 members of the Municipalité. You can either use a printed list supplied in your package by one of the candidates, parties or alliances, or fill in up to 7 names by hand using the blank ballot. As for the Conseil communal, you can also modify printed lists by hand, by crossing out and/or adding names, up to a total of more than 7 names. March 20 Deuxième tour (second round) To fill any remaining seats in the Municipalité, a runoff election will be held on March 20.  Candidates are elected in this round by relative majority , i.e. those candidates receiving the most votes cast will fill any remaining seats. Note that sometimes parties withdraw unsuccessful first-round candidates and replace them with others, and sometimes new alliances and candidates appear as well! Election of the mayor The mayor is primus inter pares among the Municipaux, so he must first be elected as a member of the Municipalité.  Although the current incumbent, Daniel Rossellat, is expected to run unopposed for re-election, he must first overcome the technical hurdle of being elected to the Municipalité, as only members of that body are eligible to run for mayor.  The election for mayor also takes place in 2 rounds: the first, on April 17 (absolute majority required), and the second (if necessary) on May 8 (relative majority). Need more information? Got it?  Well, if not, don’t worry: you’re in good company!  Many native Swiss don’t understand the system, either. If you have any questions after reading all the official information, call me on 079 2025014 or e-mail me at jenefsky@iprolink.ch and I’ll try to help. Bob Jenefsky – Conseiller communal – President, Parti Indépendant Nyonnais ( www.independant.ch ) A selection of photos below from Saturday 6th Feb of the campaigning in Nyon. Photos are placed in random order - Living in Nyon is not affiliated with any political party! Photo above: Olivier Mayor - Member of the Municipality Photo above: Daniel Rossellat - Current mayor of Nyon and Fabienne Freymond Cantone , member of the municipality Photo above: Raphael Weisskopf  - Independent candidate for the Municipality

Friday night's Paléo is reviewed by Jérémy Binz who went to see bands performing on the smaller stages at the festival.  Check out out his review of Wednesday night at Paléo here. The weather brightened up a lot more on Friday afternoon that it soon became actually quite sunny at Paléo and even wearing jeans seemed a little too much.  The sun helped dry up a lot of the mud from the previous days so walking about the festival was way easier and made for a welcome change.  The dry weather and the fact that it was Friday evening, were probably the two main reasons why there were a lot more people around the festival than on the previous days. Photo above  and below- Thursday night's mud at Paléo. First on when I got in the festival was French reggae band Danakil, however I decided to skip this concert as I’d already seen them last year. I heard the concert was good and chilled out though, and it must have been, judging by the massive crowd watching them perform on the Grande Scène. Instead I decided to go and discover something new, which is the best thing to do when you’re not interested by the bigger acts. I’ve sometimes found great artists by doing just that. Binary Audio Misfits I checked out Binary Audio Misfits who were playing a mix of rock and hip-hop under the Club Tent. The crowd seemed to have been drawn away from the place to go in front of the Grande Scène but the few there were dedicated enough. The band is actually a fusion of a French band and an American one, giving the music its own style. It was a little basic, but the vocals made up for it and the band was energetic. Photo above courtesy Paléo - Binary Audio Misfits The Creole Choir of Cuba Next up, after a quick stop on the Colline to greet a few friends, was the colourful Creole Choir Of Cuba. Something to see if you’re into Latin music!  The show was great with lots of dancing by Cuban women in magnificent dresses and enormous Cuban smiles all over the Dome scene, and the music, a lot of singing with a few chosen instruments, literally transported you to Cuba. Photo above - courtesy Paléo - The  Creole Choir of Cuba  Later on in the same place and still in the Latin repertoire was Los Van Van, which was a little disappointing as we were expecting something a little less pop. It wasn’t bad of course, but my friends and I soon decided it was time for something else. Instead we went to get some food, and the green curry we tried was amazing. We Love Machines On to the Détour for We Love Machines  which turned out to be a fun and energetic French touch electro band. Paléo’s smallest scène was soon filled with an excited crowd of young people jumping around with the sound. The last tune played turned out as a nice surprise for some as it was probably the first time some dubstep could be heard in Paléo. Calle 13 - Hot stuff from Puerto Rico!  We went straight to the Chapiteau after that to see what Calle 13 was about. I would’ve said it was a mix of hip-hop and reggaeton until the singer announced: “This is not hip-hop or reggaeton, this is Calle 13!” Photo courtesy - Paléo/ Lionel Flusin But still, it was anyway, mixed with cumbia, ska and jazz too. Hot stuff from Puerto Rico! They were very convincing on stage, especially the two singers who were bursting with energy the whole time. The instrumentals were very well done and the vocals great. They really got the crowd participating. At some point some people in the crowd started throwing South American flags on the stage and the singer hung them all up around the stage. The atmosphere soon became nice and hot with everybody dancing and enjoying. It was a great concert, my personal favourite for that day! Photo courtesy - Paléo / Lionel Flusin To end the night what could’ve been better than Round Table Knights?  It’s one of the Swiss electro bands that’s really worth hearing, with their creative and clever mix of minimal electro. Ending their concert with a drum & bass tune was a wise choice for a great performance as everyone in the dense crowd gave out their last burst of energy, and a nice treat for lots of enthusiasts. See Round Table Nights video trailer here After that last concert, we finally caught a few raindrops and it was clear the night was over so we headed to the gates, passing the same guy than yesterday giving out free hugs. I’ll have to give it a try next time! Tomorrow will be another discovery night for me as I haven’t heard from most of the artists coming up, but it looks like Latin music will once again be the main performance under the Dome, and I’m sure Mika will please a massive crowd on the main stage.

A Very Happy Swiss National Day and Happy Yorkshire Day to all Yorkshire readers !   Click here to find out details of what's happening today in Nyon on this Swiss national holiday. Free Tour of new Nyon hotel  The new Base Nyon apart/hotel (very close to the railway station) is due to open in Autumn in Nyon, and the scaffolding has started to come down off the building. More details about this hotel, its on-site restaurant and the hotel's facilities coming up later on this site. A free tour of this new hotel is offered to the first 10 readers that "like" the Facebook page of the hotel itself. The tour will take place on the 16th September at 17:30 and will be a sneak preview of the hotel before it officially opens. Readers who have won a place on the tour will be contacted by Base Nyon directly.

There will be a Christmas brocante sale on Friday 19 November 09:00 to 19:00 and on Saturday 20 November from 09:00 to 15:00 at L'Ancienne Ferme 485 rue de l'Etraz over in Gex in France. Tons of antique, shabby chic, retro and modern collectables for the home and garden.  Discover original gifts and stocking fillers for Christmas.  Plus, delicious homemade mincemeat from Tanya Quinn, Christmas cards and painted furniture from The Paintsmith.  More than 200 new brocante items since the September sale.  Bring a friend  and enjoy coffee and a mincepie, if they haven't all been eaten! For further information and directions contact Sian Sibley at  s.sibley@orange.fr tel 04 50 41 92 30 or mobile 06 81 36 67 23 Photo above from Nyon's own monthly flea market Student looking for  local work Do you have any odd jobs you need doing  around the house or needs a babysitter or a translator?    Iam a 17 year old bilingual student on a gap year looking for work during week-days. I have good experience with children, and can baby-sit.  Can also help for lessons in Maths, French, Latin, etc. (from primary school to Bacalaureat level) I can do any odd job from taking care of your garden to taking your dog for walks. I can also translate from French to English and English to French, and have some experience writing ( I wrote for Living In Nyon this summer during the Paléo festival).  Contact  Jonas Parson, 078 795 00 45

"Reunion - Ti Ar Etter Krigen"  showing tonight at the Capitole 2, this film review is written by Suzy Nelson-Pollard. The international world premiere of «  Reunion – ten years after the war  » directed by Jon Haukeland, was shown yesterday at the Vision du Réel film festival and will be repeated again today at 18:00 at the Capitole 2. The documentary is a fascinating insight in to peace dialogue initiatives, human relations and the lesser-known aftermath of a well-known conflict. In 1999 before the breakout of war in Kosovo, several brave young Albanian and Serbian students agreed to participate in an interethnic dialogue mediated by a Norwegian peace studies specialist. The discussion was electric, with Albanian fury and Serbian accusations; neither side could be brought to understand the other’s pain. The exchange was filmed by Jon Haukeland, but was never shown back in Kosovo due to the war that erupted only weeks later.  Ten years later, Haukeland decided to organise a reunion with the same articulate students, to bring them back together and to recreate a discussion around the topic of Kosovo. Some of the students were untraceable, had disappeared or were killed during the war, most of the Serbs had moved away from Kosovo, many were married, had children and had started new lives. After having been tracked down, most agreed to sit back around the table, to listen to each others' stories and to rekindle the discussion that had in most cases been repressed from public dialogue.  The mediator asked each person around the table to start with explaining where they were during the war and their life adjusting afterwards. The Albanians were taken aback hearing the Serbian stories of their brothers killed, their escapes abroad and the unease they felt now in Kosovo. The Serbs tried to understand how desperate the Albanians must have been that they felt relief when the war started. The peace specialist wisely explained that while two independent sides of the story coexist without overlapping, politicians, media and propaganda can perpetually manipulate the fear and animosity. It is only when the two sides start to intertwine that reconciliation can be plausible. “We are getting in to the core of the subject here, who is writing the history”. “Are you happy now? Now that you got what you wanted, free Kosovo?” ask the Serbs, many exiled. “The tables have turned, you repressed us for so many years, now the power is in our hands, what can we do for you?” The Albanians suggest that the future may be brighter once the wounds have healed.  The director of the film doesn’t claim to have a solution to the situation or a method to erase the pain, nor does he attempt to explain all the nuances of the conflict or to endorse dialogue initiatives as the only method. The film is especially fascinating on a more human level, how the participants have suffered, matured, how much more measured their responses are. The dialogue opens up deep repressed traumas that at times are extremely moving. How many generations will peaceful coexistence take, and could it be accelerated by initiatives such as this Norwegian film?