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?

Free entry to local places of interest It's the "Journeés Européenes du Patrimoine"  - "European Heritage weekend"  on Saturday the 7th and Sunday 8th September.  Many local buildings in Nyon and in other towns and villages open their doors  free of charge to enable the public to discover the rich heritage of the area.  Even the Centre for Fire and Rescue is open to the public on Saturday 7th. There will be demonstrations on fire safety from 09:00 -16:00  there will also be a chance to check out some of the old fire engines!  The CRDIS is in Route de Champ-Colin 4 in Nyon. For details of all the buildings taking part in this heritage weekend and opening times see official Nyon site here  Music school open for registrations The Conservatoire de l'Oeust Vaudois (COV) is now open for the "Rentrée" (back to school). This  music school set along Nyon's lake side, offers music courses for all ages from learning guitar, piano and other musical instruments to singing lessons, choral work, jazz, theatre etc. Many of the teachers at this prestigious school speak English. The COV hosts regular performances by visiting artists and by its own students. If you walk along the lakeside in front of the building you can often hear music wafting out of the windows from someone playing the piano to playing the drums!

Tulips in Morges The Tulip festival has now officially begun in Morges and continues until the 17th May. Once the flowers are in full bloom they are a magnificent sight to see, you can check on the current status of the tulips by looking at the section called "Evolution of the Blooming" on the festival site  - click here   It looks like there is not long to go before the tulips emerge! Traffic on Alfred Cortot Street in Nyon Recently introduced traffic measures on the Avenue Alfred Cortot, (the main street which feeds into the centre of Nyon), have met with considerable opposition from some of Nyon’s political parties.  The traffic-flow moderation measures which were put in place to slow down vehicular traffic, encourage cycling and give priority to buses, have been the subject of many animated discussions amongst locals and councillors alike. Recently, four  political parties, the PIN, PLR, UDC and VL  put forward a “postulate” (an official request to the Municipality or city executive)  to do something about the “slalom” situation on the road. The Municipality has replied to the city council that the measures put in place are legal and that it does not consider any changes necessary.  A commission of the city council is now evaluating this reply and will recommend its acceptance or refusal by the city council (or both, if there is a majority and minority report).

The 4th July falls on a Saturday this year and to celebrate American Independence Day there will be an American "cinema soirée" at the Capitole Cinema in Nyon. The evening will begin with a guided visit at 19:30 (with commentary) to the new art exhibition at Nyon castle. This exhibition  features the work of American marquetry artist, Brooklyn-based, Las Vegas native Alison Elizabeth Taylor. You can read more about this artist here Following a tour of the exhibition there will be an American cocktail served at the cinema followed by the screening of the classic 1987 film "Bagdad Café" (Out of Rosenheim) film. Ticket price - 20 CHF Reservations required email  info@chateaudenyon.ch  – 022 363 83 51 before Friday 27th June. See film trailer below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Muyz8KnW_0I On the 4th and 5th July there will be a Stand Up Paddle competition in Crans-près Céligny called the Foolmoon SUP Classic 2015. Members of the public can enter this competition either in the shorter distance public race or they can enter the professional, more intense race on Sunday 5th Full details  click here

The lake's temperature was a mere six degrees on Sunday but it didn't stop quite a few brave souls going for a swim as part of the official inaugaration of the sauna (see post from 2nd January). There were those that swam in regular swimming costumes and those who dressed up to go in the water. The "dutchtub" by the lake provided a welcome warm up! The new sauna next to the lake (the building with the chimney and porthole looking onto the water). Raclette and mulled wine on offer to the onlookers Getting rid of the Christmas tree and other rubbish/garbage For those that live in Nyon, the official decheterie is in Chemin de Borgogne 12 (here's a link to a map with the address) Opening times Monday to Saturday 08:30 - 11:45  and 13:30  - 17:30  Closed on Sunday and holidays. For rubbish that can left outside your home/apartment including Christmas trees, there are certain days  allocated each month for rubbish collection, depending on the kind of rubbish and which area of Nyon you live in. Each area is divided into a zone. You should have received a leaflet from the council on this, if you do not have it then you can download it from the Nyon website or here A new leaflet for 2010 should be published soon, keep an eye out for it in your letter box. If you live outside Nyon then many villages either have their own decheterie or there is one that links up with another village nearby. If you are new to this site checkout the post from the 1st January "Defining a decade in Nyon"

Paléo Day one - Concert reviews by Jonas Parson of the following acts: Southern Lonesome Comfort Company, Mama Rosin, Shangan Electro, Sophie Hunger, Heymoonshaker, Mokoomba, Jagwa Music, Les Clandestines, Filharmonic von Strass, and of course the headline act of the night - Neil Young. Note: latest news (Weds 24th July at 13:35) Despite the storms of last night the festival is now fully operative and the car parks are open. Some rain is predicted for later on. Keep  checking the Paléo site for latest info and don't forget there is also a Paléo App to check for latest news.  Let it be...gin!  (Folk  music from the Ticino)  Cajun Music from Geneva, Techno from Africa and Neil Young in the rain. What a start to the festival! Everybody's spirits were high as the first festival goers came flooding onto the grounds. The sky was clear, everyone was feeling really hot, everything seemed great. The music hit off when the Southern Lonesome Comfort Company , a folk-ish band from Ticino walked on stage in the Club Tent. One of this year's changes is the swap between the lineup of the Club Tent and the Détour. The former now hosts all the Swiss bands, giving them a better exposure, and the Détour now welcomes the smaller international bands. No time to watch the end of the concert though, as coming to Paléo also means sprinting from one stage to another to see the three or four amazing bands that have been scheduled at the same time. It was time for 's baptism, with Living In Nyon all time favourite trio Mama Rosin . They do not need introducing any more, but the concert was great, what a better way to inaugurate the new stage! Their punchy, quirky music, blending bandoneons, banjos and washboards got the crowd without much difficulties. It was Cyril (one of the band member's 30 th birthday), and so he was wished a happy birthday in front of a huge crowd at Paléo. Not bad eh? Then a rush up to the Dôme, the stage situated in the centre of the Village du Monde, here it was time to experience an interesting mix of African marimbas and 80's techno. Add four dancers dressed up in bright colours, with fake stomachs and impressive dancing skills, showing off on music as fast as 180 beats per minute (that's 3 beats per seconds!), and you get an explosive and highly enjoyable show. Shangaan Electro, who come from South Africa, will be playing again today at the Dôme, at 20:00. Sophie Hunger, defying the Röstigraben Did you say röstigraben (i.e. the cultural barrier that separates the French and German speaking parts of Switzerland) ? The people in front of the Grande Scène didn't seem to have got the message, as they gathered to listen to Sophie Hunger . As punchy as ever, the Swiss-german singer gave a lively show, switching from guitar to piano and from rock to folk with ease. She spoke to the crowd in impeccable French, and after a few songs in German and English, gave her rendition of “ Le Vent nous portera ”, Noir Desir's star song. Sophie Hunger is in herself a symbol of the friendly coexistence that exists in Switzerland between the different cultures that make up the country. Heymoonshaker , the improbable British combo of a beat-boxer and a banjo player, who met whilst busking in New Zealand, were playing under the Club tent. The atmosphere under the tent was wild, and the band had the crowd clearly under their influence. On of the two kept pushing the crowd to make more noise, clearly enjoying himself (and wondering why all the big bands in front of huge crowds didn't do this more often!). You could clearly see this wacky duo were enjoying themselves, matching the spirits of the people watching them blast everything away with their music. Everybody went mad at the end of each song, jumping up and down, clapping and shouting (much to the pleasure of the beat-boxer!). They finished by reminding everyone that we are all free, and should ask ourselves if we are really living the life we wish to live. It looks like they are doing just fine. Tradition and Modernity at the Village du Monde It was time for some more African music at the Dôme. Jagwa Music were on, inviting us to discover Tanzanian marketplaces and crowded streets through their music which blends tradition with modernity. Mixing African percussions with cheap synthesisers, they have as much energy as the Jaguar jet they take their name from. You can listen to their fast-paced music again tonight at 22:45. The next band on at the Dôme was Mokoomba . This six-man orchestra from Zimbabwe delivered one of my favourite shows of the day- good thing you can see them again today at 17:45! Guitar, bass, percussions and drums,lead by an explosive singer (where do they get all of this energy from?!) who led the show with such enthusiasm it it left no one the same. They were backed by an all-white brass trio, giving for a raucous and joyous hour and a bit of dancing and exulting in front of such life. Note - The Living in Nyon editor saw this band too and echoes Jonas's comments, for dancing music and explosive energy they are a "must see" band! Photos of Mokoomba below.  C-Nelson Pollard Photos above: Mokoomba - C. Nelson-Pollard Street theatre and Circus at La Ruche Paléo isn't the same without a good dose of street theatre and circus, so La Ruche is always somewhere that I enjoy going. This year's edition has been placed under the sign of "women"-  90 percent of the performers are female. Most of the acts take place all week, so make sure to go and see them! Les Clandestines, a French troupe, propose "an ode to exile and loss", through the eyes of Italian women from the 19 th century. The show is a beautiful mix of traditional singing, quotes from letters and registers that note the passage and loss of so many families torn apart by exile. In a slightly more boisterous tone, the Filharmonic Von Strasse aim to take Ravel's Bolero to the hit-parade. Showcasing classical music in ways which probably make Beethoven and Mozart (WAM! as they call him) turn in their tombs, but make the audience laugh, their songs tend to degenerate into the Bee gees or a fight. Bringing together an angry pianist, a very religious dancer and broken-hearted singer, along with an incapable servant and an over-enthusiastic sound engineer, their show is hilarious and fast-paced. Like a Hurricane.... And then it was time for legend to come to l'Asse. Neil Young , twenty years later, walked on stage in front of a packed audience. Older fans mixed with younger generations, showing how Neil Young's music is an important part of musical history. Backed by Crazy Horse, he delivered an impressive concert. Surprising people who knew him for his calmer, folkier tunes, the concert started with a grunge side to it,with heavily saturated guitars. Neil Young, playing facing his guitar and bass player, looked like he was just having a good time with some old friends, albeit some extremely talented musicians. Photo above: Neil Young on stage - C. Nelson- Pollard They then went on to perform an impressive quarter of an hour of noise music, filled with larsens and saturated sound, whilst two roadies blew what looked like paper and plastic bags on stage, in a very apocalyptic setting. If you add to that the lightning you could see to the right of the stage, announcing the storm to come, it was pretty impressive! Living up to his nickname of "Godfather of Grunge", he gave us an amazing experience. "Most Epic Concert I have ever seen" After a few calmer more ballady songs, which he played alone and with his harmonica, including "Blowing in the "Wind", Crazy Horse came back on stage for what was probably the most epic concert I have ever seen. Just as the first chords of "Like a Hurricane" were played, the storm hit us, as if Neil Young had commanded the skies to fall on our heads.What more fitting weather for such a concert? They then went on to play the song for about twenty minutes, under pouring rain, with an euphoric crowd dancing half-naked in the mud. By the end of the concert, the front of the stage looked like the Amazon river! As if nothing could happen after such an extraordinary concert, the last concert was cancelled because of the weather. Neil Young had come to Paléo, and he had left his mark. Stalls left in the dark with no electricity, fallen down tents all over the camp-site (including mine...), the train blocked, and over 30 litres of water per square meter... Neil Young, like a hurricane indeed! Chris Parson on Neil Young: "What a great reminder of how complex a musician he is!" Photo above: courtesy- Paléo /Lionel Fusin I caught up with Chris Parson  who I interviewed earlier for this site to ask him what he had thought of this much anticipated concert: "It was great! It was a good reminder of what a complex musician  Neil Young is. People tend to associate him with a few albums like Harvest , After the Gold Rush and Harvest Moon , the more folky stuff, and forget he's the godfather of grunge! And when he plays with Crazy Horse, it's more electronic. I also reckon his concert was a timely commentary on the state of the world today, the world has been trashed, and some of the longer saturated guitar sessions were a interesting artistic comment on the state of the world. And finishing with Like A Hurricane  who could have conjured up such a sound and light show to accompany such a wonderful song? A truly magical and memorable moment! Oh, and I didn't get a second harmonica this time (see previous interview), what a pity...."  Photo above: Neil Young on stage  -  C. Nelson-Pollard   It might rain again tonight, so don't forget your raincoats and wellies ! Footnote:  The  Alt J concert - We caught up with one concert.goer who said "they sounded better live than recorded . They played some new songs, the crowd sang along to Breezeblocks, the band spoke a bit of French and they thanked their Swiss fans."

If you have just arrived in Nyon and don't have a car, but would like the use of one from time to time, then there is a great car sharing system available here, and in the rest of Switzerland called " Mobility ". It has cars parked at Nyon railway station and other *places around the town, and you can reserve them online making it very convenient to use. The minimum car rental is for as little as one hour! To quote from their website:"Mobility lets you use a car round-the-clock on a self-service basis with all its benefits, but without the financial disadvantages". There are over 2, 000 vehicles at 1,050 stations throughout Switzerland, so it's a great idea if you are planning a holiday and intend exploring the country but you don't want to drive a long distance. Once registered this service enables you to take the train and then hire a Mobility car at the end of your journey. A trial subscription for 4 months costs just CHF 70. Their site is in excellent English and has a frequently asked questions section on how Mobility works, with a price comparison table on the advantages of using this service as opposed to buying a private car. It's easy to drive off too as you simply hold your Mobility-Card against the redsticker on the windscreen. The central locking disengages automatically. The boardcomputer then confirms your booking and displays your reservation et voila! Check their site out for more info and happy driving! * The other places around town are Place du Chateau, La Levratte, and La Combe