Search

Check out the hairstyles, fashion and music back then! As part of the celebrations for the 40th anniversary of Paléo, the festival, in collaboration with Radio Television Suisse , has released a montage of films highlighting the festival over the years. Check out a very young Daniel Rossellat (president of the festival and current mayor of Nyon) announcing the first Nyon "folk festival" to the press in 1976.  Spot  the backdrop of the château before it was renovated in the late 1990's. Rossellat is wearing a checked shirt in the interview, an item of clothing that still remains his trademark today. In the films ( click here to see them all ) you can see clips of many bands from  James Brown to  Jamiroquai and even a quick glimpse of Oasis whose appearance in July 2000 made the news across the world when they stormed off stage mid-concert. Read here about the background to this incident in a 2013 Living in Nyon interview  with Chris Parson, the English translator for the festival.      The very first festival was held in the Salle Communale in Nyon, it then moved down to the lakeside before moving up to the L'Asse grounds and it has now become one of the significant music festivals in Europe. Below are some Paléo statistics which make interesting reading.  Don't forget the big Paléo party in town tomorrow , the 18th July. Paléologie - 1976 à 1982 Statistics below - courtesy Paléo festival Since 1976 39 festivals 2,990 artists 4,033 shows 5,706,154 spectators In 2014, Paléo Festival Nyon involved 230,000 spectators 1,469 musicians and technicians 257 shows on 7 stages and animations 4,753 volunteers 1 area of 84 hectares (including the camping and the parking) 9000 campers each day 222 stall-holders and 54 bars 69 salaried staff (46 FTE full time employees) 610 journalists, photographers and media representatives: 239 newspapers, websites, magazines, record companies, TV and radio channels 29 Swiss and international Television 53 radio stations 13 Record companies A budget of 24 million Swiss Francs Internet 2,295,503 visitors between August 2013 and August 2014 (source: Google Analytics) 123,000 regular subscribers to the Festival’s newsletter at 1st August 2014 86,245 Facebook fans at 1st August 2014 Ticketing 75% of tickets sold via paleo.ch (print-at-home system). Paléo respects the environment 1,455,000 washable cups produced by Paléo since 2009. 45% of those present at the Festival use public transport or soft mobility to get here in 2014. 51% of the waste was sorted in 2014 (15% in 2000). Paléo uses 100% green energy. Spectator profile Figures presented below are taken from a survey conducted by the Haute Ecole de Gestion de Genève (face to face interviews) from a representative sample of spectators during the Paléo Festival Nyon 2013. Origin Nyon district 23% which Nyon and surroundings* 12% State of Vaud (without Nyon district) 28% State of Geneva 28% Other French speaking States 9% German speaking part of CH and Ticino 3% Foreign countries 9% * Duillier, Eysins, Grens, Prangins, Signy-Avenex, Trélex Age Under 20 years: 16% Between 20 and 29 years: 33% Between 30 and 39 years: 21% Between 40 and 49 years: 14% Over 50 years: 16% Average age of the spectators is 33 years. Half the spectators are younger than 30 years of age. Loyalty 13% discovers Paléo for the first time. 49% of the public had already taken part in more than 5 editions of the Festival. 99% of the public is considering as a certainty (84%) or a possibility (15%) of coming back the following year. Satisfaction 98% of the public present said they were satisfied or very satisfied with the way they were received on site. 96% of the public present thought the offer of food and drinks was either good or excellent.

If you are looking to do something with your children on Wednesday afternoon when they are out of school, then why not take a guided walk through the Bois de Chênes of Genolier? These woods are a lovely spot for a picnic and the guide from asgip will explain all about this nature reserve and provide games along the way. It's a 5km walk for children between 5-10 years old and for adults of all ages and takes place between 14:00-17:00. Here's the link to the actual walk or contact the guide Estelle Divorne who speaks English. Tel 022 364 40 71 Take a look at the asgip site to see other guided walks there's another in the Bois de Chênes on 13 May and a full moon walk in Burtigny on the 8th May (this latter walk is from 20:00 to 23:00 and for older children and adults)

On Sunday 6th November it's the Leman Expat Fair . Over 120 Swiss and international businesses and services with experience in serving the English-speaking community will be in one place under the same roof at the Beaulieu in Lausanne. Whether you have just arrived in Switzerland, or have been here for a while, these fairs are a great way of finding out what's available for expats in this part of Switzerland and they can give you a chance to meet others expats (and Swiss too of course !) Living in Nyon will have a stand at the fair (booth number 105) and will be selling copies of the book "Living along Lac Léman",  so do come and say "hello".  Check out the floor plan and list of exhibitors here New at the fair this year are  presentations given throughout the day on a variety of topics such as; "The Tourist Highlights of Vaud" given by the Office du Tourisme Vaud. There will also be a presentation by Diccon Bewes, author of "Swiss Watching" and another entitled "Raising Cross Culture and Global Nomad Children" by Suellen Bonga of CWC Suisse. For children there will be a face painting stand, plus crepes and gaufres (waffles) will be served between 14:00 and 16:00. For adults there will be a DVD and book exhange. Bring your DVDs and book and take home new titles!  There will also be a "green carpet" day-long putting initiation by Golf de Lavaux at the fair. Career Fair in same building on same day New this year at Beaulieu in association with International Link and CVIC (the Chamber Vaudoise of Commerce and Industry) there will be an International Career Fair in the same building.  This is an opportunity for employers who are looking for talent to be at the fair and for those looking for employment to search out job possibilities. This fair will also run presentations throughout the day such as "Energise your job search through a fresh approach"  to  "All you really need to know to get a job in Switzerland". This career fair is aimed at international and local professionals and their spouses. Find out all about this Career Fair here Check out the full list of presentations during the day here How to get to the Beaulieu building by car and public transport here Check out the list of specials prepared for visitors to the expat fair  here Reminder Book signing today November 4th at Nyon tourist office. There will be a "Living along Lac Léman " book signing today at Nyon tourist office between 16:00 and 18:00. Come and say "hello" and pick up a copy of the book for a birthday or Christmas present.   Other events Vide Grenier  - A reminder that this Sunday 6th November the IWCN willhave a table top sale at the Salle Communale. in Dully from 10:00 – 15:00.  Info: Anne-Marie Ramu  Tél. 021 824 13 03. Bénéfices pour la Fondation Vaudoise “Le Cube de Verre”. Classical Guitar Concert on Sunday Another reminder that  there will be classical guitar duet concert on Sunday 6th November at 17:00 at the COV ( see  previous post). Swiss Film to be shown in Nyon in presence of film maker Monday 7th November  In collaboration with Visions du Réel  and the Cinéma Capitale, the Swiss Film " Nel Giardino dei Suoni" will be shown on Monday 7th November  in Nyon at 20.15 in the presence of the film maker. This film has been described as a "magnificent film" by Bernard Koellish of  "Box Office". More on this event coming up on this site coming soon.

Photo above outside Angelika Chollet, the stylish gift and home accessory shop on Nyon's Rive. The posters and signs are now up around Nyon for Visions du Réel . This is an international documentary film festival which opens on the 20th April and runs through until the 27th, and is a major event in the Nyon calendar. Not only does the festival bring representatives from TV stations from all over the globe to watch, choose and buy films for their viewers, but it is an important event for documentary film makers too. Films shown at the festival cross many categories. They range from those made by first time film makers to films from seasoned directors. Many of these films are entries in to competition at  Visions du Réel and prizes are awarded in various categories on the final night of the festival. This year Visions du Reel will screen a selection of the prize winning films on Sunday the 28th April in the Salle Communale for those who missed out during the previous week! Also new this year, the festival will be collaborating with Elastique Citrique , the circus school (next to the bar of the festival) to provide entertainment for the public. As red is the identifying colour for both the circus school and the festival, this colour will also reflected in the shop windows around Nyon during the week of the festival.   Photo above:  Luciano Barisone  (sourtesy Visions du Réel -Miguel Bueno) Luciano Barisone, festival director told Living in Nyon that there are plenty of films on the agenda this year for the anglophone public. One particular film on this list  "A Home Far Away" has been made by Peter Entell, an American film maker who lives in the Nyon area.  The film synopsis reads: "Lois, an American actress, and her husband, Edgar Snow, the first journalist to have reported and filmed the Chinese revolution, are suspected of Communist sympathies and forced into exile. They end up in Switzerland, near Nyon, half way between the US and China. Long after, when Edgar has passed on, Lois tells all. A story of utopia and disillusionment takes shape before the camera". Photo: courtesy Visions du Réel We will be reporting on this and reviewing films throughout the festival.  The full programme catalogue is now available in print form with a full listing of the films and you can pick a copy up at various outlets: Nyon tourist office, the cinema etc. The full programme is also available on line  here and in English. Tickets are now on sale through the site and through Star Ticket . Full details here La Roulotte opens on the 15th!  Spring is here which means the opening of La Roulotte! This temporary summer café created out of an old railway carriage and positioned behind Nyon station,  has become a popular fixture over the last two summers for both commuters and locals alike, for breakfast,  lunch or an after work drink. The café reopens on the 15th April at 16:00. See site here

Friday's line-up was a perfect example of Paléo's eclecticism and tendency towards pleasing various tastes. The main stage saw a trio of explosive and chaotic punk-rock bands deliver their crazy show, starting with the French Skip The Use and Shaka Ponk , before The Prodigy . At Les Arches on the other hand, the crowd was a few generations older, as Maxime Le Forestier and Bernard Lavilliers sang all of their old classics.   The first concert of the evening was-according to this Living In Nyon reporter- the best concert of the year. Musical geniuses and incidentally brothers and sisters, Les Ogres de Barback enchanted the crowd at Les Arches with their amazing mix of touching lyrics (written by Freddo, the singer) and beautiful music. Celebrating the 20 th year of the band this year – when they started, the twin sisters were 16 years old, playing in venues they were technically not allowed into- they decided to bring along some of their friends, the Fanfare Eyonlé, a brass band from Benin . Most of their songs were rearranged to be played with 10 African musicians, and the additional oomph was great. It is always a great pleasure to see Les Ogres, as they really look like they're happy to be here with the crowd, sharing a moment of musical bliss and joyous dancing. They finished the concert in style, coming down from the stage and playing acoustically through the whole crowd before disappearing down a side-entrance. Just as the concert finished and the crowd started drifting apart, it started pouring with rain, taking the festival-goers by surprise. Rain at Paléo always makes for funny sights, as you can see people running through the mud bare-chested, or huddled together under one of the tents. One of the bars became the scene of an impromptu concert, as one of the troupes from La Ruche, a brass band, took refuge under the cover of the tent and played standing on the bar, for the pleasure of the dozens of bedraggled onlookers. The morale was high, the rain failing to dampen the spirits. Skip The Use did most of their concert in the rain, but the die-hard fans and intrepid festival-goers stayed and pogoed despite the apocalyptic weather. The band's high-voltage music made it impossible to stay still in front of their enthusiasm. They finished with a reference to the political situation in France, chanting”La jeunesse emmerde le Front National”, the crowd following with passion. Later on on the main stage, Shaka Ponk's outrageous show rocked the Asse, as the extravagant singer played with the crowd and made everyone forget the shitty weather. Their delirious mix of punk, electro, pop and rock was accompanied by an impressive visual show. This is another band that the Front National dislikes, calling their music “degenerate”. All in all, I agree with that labelling. But what's the problem with that, right? Meanwhile, Fills Monkey delivered their weel-crafted mix of comedy and impressive drumming skills. The two members of the band are both professional drummers, and their show is really impressive. You can see them again tonight (Saturday, 21:30) at the Détour. After the warm-up, it was time for The Prodigy on the main stage. It was packed, and people were jumping around to the onslaught of sound from the cult band. Pogoing in front of the main stage is part of the Paléo experience, and I would not have missed it for the world. It is always a very interesting place to be, and it is nice to see people show solidarity with one another, picking each other up, or creating a space to help someone try and find their glasses (they did, and in one piece however improbable that seems). Mustering the remaining energy left over from Prodigy, part of the crowd headed to Les Arches, to check out Carbon Airways. A brother and a sister from France, these two kids (they are 17 and 18 years old!) do an amazing trashy electro, electrifying the crowd with their powerful music. Curious at first, I was very quickly impressed by the show, both of them completely at ease and exploding with energy on stage. Paléo doesn't necessarily finish after the last concert, and the camp-site is a good place to continue partying until dawn. A group of punks had brought a guitar and drum-set, and played through a good part of the night, finishing things off in beauty, with an authentic punk feel. If you want to see what's going on at anytime of the festival but can't be bothered to get off your couch (especially with this weather), Paleo has installed a webcam with a live feed on the main stage. (You can currently enjoy watching a few wet volunteers run through the rain to get to shelter) Due to Yesterday's heavy rain, ALL the car-parks are closed today. The cars will be redirected to Nyon, where buses will take everyone up to the grounds.

In English we call it Bingo, in French it's Loto, and this month you will see a lot of posters advertising "Lotos" taking place around the area. They are organised by the many charities and clubs as their main fund raising events of the year. They are very popular events and last week Living in Nyon went to one organised by the Twirling Club of Nyon in the Salle Communale (which was packed with loto players). There are various prices of tickets you can buy to win different prizes. You have to have a completely a full card of numbers to win, you shout out "quine" when you have one line, "double quine" when you have two and "carton" when the card is full. It's a great way of practising your French (in particular your numbers)! However beware, the numbers are not repeated when they are called out, the caller quickly moves on to the next one so you have to be quick off the mark. While the numbers are being called out there is no talking going on, concentration is required! If you play one game and want to play another then the club have members walking round handing out new cards (you pay for a batch of tickets at the entry which entitles you to so many cards). It can be addictive and it's fun, there are usually snacks available too. Even if you don't win anything its something to do on a snowy weekend (they take place on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays)and you are contributing to a good cause! For example, the lake rescue loto is next week. Children can take part too so take them along, prizes tend to be for adults, food, wine etc, but last week the main prize at the Twirlnig Club was a mountain bike! Here's the list of lotos with dates and times in Nyon in January and February, have a look in your village or town for a Loto near you. Big Burn up in Gland The annual Gland Christmas Tree Burning is happening this Saturday 9th Jan. from 10:00 to 12:00. It will be held at Le Grand Champ - the big open field behind the Collège en Grand Champs, between Rue des Tuilleries and Ru due Collège. The local fire department will be there to manage the burn-up. There will also be bread, cheese, hot Vaud sausages (cooked in the embers of the burning trees) and drinks provided by the local Gland community. A chance to bring Christmas trees and other dried up Christmas decorations, throw them on the pile and be part of a cheerful and burning-bright occasion. Everyone is welcome, even if you do not have a tree! Note: The offical website of the town in Gland has certain sections of it written in English. Take a look . Plus: An American  resident of the town of Gland will be writing a post on this site about what it is like to live in Gland, so watch this space!

It's turned chilly here in Nyon with snow visible on the Jura. A complete contrast to the weather four days ago in the last post. As a perfect antidote to these early wintry conditions, there's a comedy in English that begins on Tuesday that will not only make you laugh and warm you up, but perhaps take your mind off what's going on that night over the "other side of the pond". "Game Plan" by Alan Ayckbourn is being performed by Geneva English Drama Society over at the Terre Sainte theatre in Coppet. Even though this theatre is situated in a school, it is has a proper professional theatre space and stage with a lovely pre-theatre bar. There's plenty of parking next to the theatre and it's walkable to the train station. If you go on the first night (Tuesday 4th) there's a drink of bubbly offered and an opportunity to met the cast. Should be fun. Performances Tuesday 4th to Friday 7th November at 20:00 Saturday 8th at 19:00 Théâtre de Terre Sainte, Coppet. Tickets can be ordered online at the Theatre in English. Here a sypnosis of the play below. Life’s not looking rosy for Lynette and daughter Sorrel. The man in their lives disappeared when Lynette’s dot.com business collapsed, and she’s now working long hours as a cleaner. But sixth-former Sorrel has a secret plan to keep them financially afloat. With the internet, a mobile phone and the help of best friend Kelly, what could be a simpler way of earning money than the oldest profession in the world? Sorrel is confident she can handle her game plan safely and anonymously...but will she go through with it? This up-to-date comedy was a huge success in London's West End in 2002. Due to its theme parents are advised that this play may not be suitable for younger children.

Then the two film festivals coming up in Nyon are worth taking a look at. The first is the Festival du Film Vert (Green Film festival) and the second is an film festival on Archaeology . Both festivals include some films in English, or have subtitles in English. The Green film festival is on Saturday 28th February at the Salle Communale in Nyon with five films showing in the afternoon through to the evening. The first at 13:00 Flow is in English. This is an award winning documentary investigation into the World Water Crisis. See this film's website for more details. The second film at 15:15 is Planete Blanche The third at 17:00 is Our Children will accuse us Set in a community in France it features a mayor who has decided to make the school canteen organic. The 4th at 19:30 is called Blé (Wheat) And the final film at 21:00 is called The World according to Monsanto Although it is in French, it includes some interviews in English. More details on the festival's website Ticket prices CHF 10 for adults and CHF 5 for children and AVS and students or an abonnement for the whole day 20 CHF adults CHF 10 AVS and students. The festival is touring eleven Swiss venues from the 28th Feb to 7th March so if you don't catch it in Nyon, you can see it elsewhere. The Archaeology film festival runs from next Tuesday March 3rd until Saturday the 7th March at the Usine a Gaz and has a full programme over the five days and entrance is free. This bi-annual festival is now in its 10th year and is a good opportunity to learn more about the world of archaeology. Films are entered into a competition and a prize giving ceremony rounds off the festival on the Saturday night. The festival has a full programme of films, these below are in English or with English subtitles. On Wednesday 4th at 14:00 Le Seigneur de Sipan is about excavation in South America. On Thursday 5th at 16:00 there is Le Secret de la déesse aux serpents and at 22:05 Les Fouilles de la Discord is about excavation in Palestine.

Author event in English followed by an aperitif in the presence of the author. Photo above - courtesy Jan Michalksi foundation © Mirabella Balaciut The British novelist and writer Jonathan Coe will be in conversation with Lisbeth Koutchoumoff, journalist of Le Temps, at the Jan Michalski Foundation in Montricher (above Morges) on Saturday, 18th October at 16.00  This event coincides with the publication of his latest novel, "Expo 58". Expo 58 is a comic spy and international love story.  A perfect evocation of a moment in the history of the Cold War, the novel looks at Europe  as a place of shifting and clashing political interests. The event will be held at the Fondation Jan Michalski in Montricher, at the foot of the Vaudois Jura.  The building that houses the foundation (in banner heading above - is famed for its interesting design.  More info about concept and aim of the building here  Entrance to the event is CHF 10  - Reservations required     reservation-coe@fondation-janmichalski.ch Here's a quote from Expo 58 “He waited in silence for the blindfold to be tied firmly at the back of his head. ‘Right,’ said Wilkins, emphatically. ‘That should do. How many fingers am I holding up?’ ‘Three,’ said Thomas. ‘God damn it to hell, how did you know that? Can you see through the cloth?’ ‘No. It was a guess.’ ‘Well you’re not supposed to guess. For crying out loud, I’m trying to make sure that you can’t see where we’re going. We’re not here to play guessing games. How many fingers am I holding up?’ ‘I’ve no idea. I can’t see a bloody thing.’ ‘Good. It was four, by the way. Not that it matters. Now shut up.” —       ‘

Patrick Chappatte, cartoonist in a scene from his own film "La Mort est Dans le Champ" Photo and images above and below: Courtesy Visions du Réel.  Nyon's film festival is now in its final day and tonight the winners of films that were entered into the different categories of competition, will be announced at the closing ceremony. There were hundreds of films on offer for festival goers, and reviewers Trish Thalman and Kathy Morf have done their bit to see quite a few of them. They have enjoyed many of the films but here is a summary of some of their favourites, plus a few from the Living in Nyon editor. It will be interesting to see if the jury's winning choice of films will be the same as those of the Living in Nyon writers.  All will be revealed tomorrow! Trish Thalman  Five Winning Films – My Choices This year, Visions du Réel provided a jam-packed, fanciful table laden with the most delicious ‘desserts’.  There was something for everyone, and far too many tasty choices to be able to get through in the six days. Of the fourteen films I had the happy opportunity to view, there are five that stand out for me. ‘Ivan and Ivana’ – a more than credible, colourful history of an immigrant couple to the US who believed in the ‘American Dream’. The story covers a period of 10 years in their lives: from blue-sky, golden beach, Porsche owning California Dreamin’ to the reality of how life gradually changes and becomes something other than ‘fast money’ in America. ‘Hula and Natan’ – a joyful, riotous story of two brothers, with very grimy, oily hands, who often sleep in the junked-out cars that appear to ‘grow’ in the dusty, full of weeds and rusted piles of metal field that is their ‘auto repair shop’ close to the Gaza – Israel border.  These men are more concerned with daily living, and selling used car batteries than with the incoming Hamas rockets that put them and their beloved, well cared for animals in harms way. ‘Edmund U Knezevac’ – a short film that gleefully tells the story of a transplanted, free spirited Swiss lawyer who left all things that annoyed him about and organised Switzerland, and moved his family to ‘another time’ in rural Serbia.  Unable to loose his Swiss sense of organisation, he has implemented an efficient program that greatly improved the standards of payment and collections for farmers and how they use their water supplies. The hilarious shots of Edmund trying to tame his headstrong horse are some of the finest moments of the film festival for me. The audience was howling with laughter, as was the intention.  Lighten Up! ‘The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975’ – a stunning and historical collection of Swedish media reports covering Black Power in the US, particularly in the San Francisco Bay area. Many of the film clips were never seen in the US, due to Government censorship during those tense times, just after the Civil Rights Bill was signed in 1963 and the turmoil of the US involvement in the Vietnam war.  I lived in San Francisco during those days, an altruistic, young adult, and was vividly reminded of the conflicts and unnecessary violence that went hand-in-hand with the Black Power movement and Anti-Vietnam protests that had more opportunity to thrive in liberal, activist San Francisco Bay Area than any other part of the US at that time. Eine Ruhige Jacke’ – A Still Jacket – this exquisitely beautiful, powerful film about a young man, entrapped in a furious life of autism, is the one that has touched me beyond a sense of my soul.  A young man who cannot speak, but understands every word said to him, is lovingly, and in the most practical sense, guided from the depth of his chaotic life and lack of communication with others, to successfully gain the ability to competently use a chainsaw  to cut logs in the Jura mountains. Perhaps it is a metaphor for sawing through the communication barriers of autism. I was overwhelmed with emotion by the sensitivity and profound depth of respect the filmmaker had for the young man and his autism. Kathy’s says on her film selection    The list of movies this year made it difficult for me to choose which ones to see. I’ve seen thirteen films since last Thursday and enjoyed most of them. It’s been a great time of discovery. There were so many different subjects, styles and origins. And with so many talented film directors it was a tough choice.  However my favourite three are  Phnom Penh Lullaby by Pawel Kloc, Poland,   Milk and Iron by Claudia Priscilla Goifman, Brazil,   Born under Z by Frédérique Pollet Rouyer, France/Belgium.  You can read Kathy's reviews of these fims on previous posts here on the site. As for the Living in Nyon editor's choice.   To be honest I don't think I have had as much luck in choosing films as Kathy and Trish. Quite a few of the films that I saw started off with great potential, but then let themselves down by the editing. Either they were too long and needed to be cut considerably or the construction of the film meant that it was difficult for the viewer to grasp what the subject matter was about. Having said that, the films that have left their mark for me are the following: "Rechokim"  by Adi Barash and Ruthie Shatz.   For the past fourteen years  Ibrahim and his family  worked as an informer for Israeli intelligence. Due to his dangerous situation as a traitor in the Palestinian authorities he was granted asylum with his family in a run down area of Tel Aviv. The film chronicles his life, and the difficulties he encounters, not only with the Israeli authorities but also with his family.  Although the film inevitably touches on the political situation in the area, the film is also about family, about parents trying to keep theirs together, about the angst of teenage children, about the simple joy of blowing out candles on a birthday cake, about surviving  under difficult circumstances and about the relationship between a husband and wife.   The official programme calls this film "A fascinating and tactful social analysis" . I agree.  "Max Kennedy and the American Dream" by Vikram Zutshi  is a strong film and another story about finding the American dream (as in "Ivan and Ivana" ) but from the pespepctive of Max an American living on the U.S/Mexican border and from the Mexicans trying to cross it illegally.   However the first film "Kampf der Köniningen" -  "The fight of the Cows" shown on the opening night ( see review here)  still remains one of my overall full length film favourites. There are also five short films for me that stood out amongst the rest.  The first two were in the "First Steps” category for young film makers.  “Pêle-Mêle” by Maelle Grand Bossi and ” A Father’s Prayer” by Andre Hörmann . Pêle Mêle is a second hand book store in Brussels and the film of the same name gives us a delightful portrayals of its patrons, one of them a loyal regular customer for over forty years, “I bought my first school books from here”. We first see him rooting around for books in the shop and then haggling over the price with the assistants. Then again later, back in his own elegant but crammed apartment, every single surface covered with books, barely an inch to move. Then there is the young man who scours the streets of Brussels for rubbish bags containing books and magazines. He sifts through them to take them to the store to sell on for a few euros. I want to visit this book store myself, not only to purchase books, but just to see these characters. A charming and well executed film. “A Father’s Prayer” by Andre Hörmann, is my second choice of the strong “First Steps” films although in the feedback, one of the tutors said he felt the subject matter was rather clichéd. A father training his teenage son to become a boxer to keep him on the straight and narrow, in a crime ridden area of the Chicago, maybe a familiar story, but it didn’t matter. From the opening deep rich timbre of the father’s voice; “As a coach I want to bring the mean side out of him, as a father I want to see him smile”, this intro led into a powerful and superbly moving portrait of a one parent family. This film is a wonderful mastery of sound and images. The father himself poetic in his statements; “What happens when one lobster climbs to the top of the pan? There are always other lobsters waiting to pull him down” referring to the crack houses and dens on their street tempting his son on every corner. The applause for this film was long and well deserved. Three other films worth a mention are " Twinset "by Amy Rose (review below), " La Mort est Dans le Champ" and "Monsieur M" by Laurent Cibien and Isabelle Berteletti. On this latter film, the documentary film makers discover a diary from 1968 in the cellar of a house in France after the has owner died. They chronicle the revolutionary years in France through this diary of a worker and map maker at the National Geographic Institute (he is also a confirmed bachelor living with his parents). A charming, at times funny, and fascinating film.  "La Mort est Dans le Champ" by Patrick Chappatte and Marco Dellamula is a  film made by the famous cartoonist Chappate (his cartoons are in the newspaers the International Herald Tribune and Le Temps). In the film he portrays the situation in the Lebanon where hundred of thousands of explosive devices are still left on the land for farmers to risk encountering them in their fields and for children find them in bushes and trees. The illustrator tells of this horrendous situation in this animated documentary. "Twinset"   by Amy Rose is set in the very English world of Women’s Guilds, of tea served in green melanine cups, of retired ladies with permed white hair, Wesleyan notice boards, and of rain.  The film features Jennifer, a transsexual living in a small seaside town in Essex and chronicles just a small part of her life, from the tetchy conversations with her mother about her transexuality (“body parts on their own don’t make the gender”) to whether she should be using the mens, ladies or disabled toilets when out in public. Despite the deepish and evidently masculine voice, Jennifer is ladylike in her actions. When she walks, skirts float and skim her slim hips. As she tries on different hats to complement an outfit, or listens politely to the amount of money raised at a charity guild event (£2.59), she has the mannerisms of a female. She is a good looking woman albeit with brighter clothes and more make up than the rest of the ladies. In the age of sketch shows featuring caricatures of such women, this film could easily have tipped the wrong way and turned Jennifer into a figure to be mocked. Fortunately the director manages to avoid this and cast a respectful eye on the character.

Photo above: The crowd watching Portishead. Each year Living in Nyon, features reviews from other writers who give their impression of Paléo. Last year Jonas Parson, the "barefoot writer", reviewed each evening's concerts. This year its the turn of a 20 year old Swiss/British student at the University of Geneva (studying for a degree in International Relations). He says he likes "all kind of music from The Gorillaz to Gonjasufi  " and has been coming to the festival for many years, not only for the music, but for the atmosphere, to see friends and to have fun". His review is below. Note:  The Living in Nyon editor gave an audio report to  World Radio Switzerland on her take of last night's festival, including a review of Angus and Julia Stone, Portishead and the great concert of Los de Abajo, (see photos of this band in previous post). Plus, there are a few tips on how to avoid some of the long food queues, you can listen to the report here . Second Night of Paléo 2011 After quite a wet first day to Paléo this time my friends and I were a bit luckier with the weather as it didn’t actually rain much for most of the day, a few rays of sun could even be caught around with patches of bright blue sky that lifted everyone’s spirits even higher. Photo of festival goers in sunflower field Thank god for those wellies though, as the mud was worse than the previous day, offering some in our crowd a few laughs watching others slip around! Bonobo (a.k.a  Simon Green from Brighton in the UK) , started early under the Chapiteau tent and soon got everybody in a warm "feel good mood",  perfect to start the evening, with quality jazz and electro influenced hip-hop and a beautiful singer. The crowd filled the tent but it wasn't too dense and the sound engineers did a great job, which made the concert a very nice listening experience. See Jeremy's  video which he has uploaded  to U tube here. " The Colline" as people here commonly call "the hill" overlooking the food stands near the Ruche (it says "Les Galets Bleus" on the map which refering to the big new blue waterbags you can sit on) wasn’t as full as it usually is, probably because of the expected weather, so finding a nice spot to sit and have a few drinks with friends was easy.  Getting food down by the Ruche though took quite a long time as the area was absolutely packed when we arrived. We just had enough time to get a hot “sandwich du Berger” before getting in front of the Grande Scène for Portishead. "Chillingly beautiful voice of singer Beth Gibbons" Portishead started its concert a little disconnected from the crowd, as they were playing on the biggest stage reserved for the top acts.  But as I heard someone put it (exaggerating ever so slightly of course), that programming Portishead under the Chapiteau (a smaller tent), would have been like programming the Rolling Stones in the Club Tent (even smaller tent!) . However after a few songs were played, the crowd started cheering with more intensity and at the chillingly beautiful voice of the singer Beth Gibbons mixed with an instrumental performance mastered over 20 years of the band’s existence. When timeless “Glory Box” was played, everyone in one very big crowd seemed to agree that they were hearing some amazing music, and you could feel it. Free Hugs Hurrying over to the Chapiteau to try and catch the rest of the concert of  American band Beirut did cast a little doubt on to whether the concert scheduling was very appropriate, and so did hurrying back to the Grande Scène to see the Chemical Brothers, but the job of programming mustn’t be easy! And passing a massive guy with a sign giving out free hugs probably made everyone feel much better. Beirut seemed to have created quite an atmosphere under the Chapiteau where you could feel warmth both in bodies and hearts. Arriving in the middle of the concert after seeing Portishead did kind of keep you from enjoying it as much as people who’d been there since the beginning. But the band sure did create a mix of quality folk goodness. Back to the Grand Scène for a great concert from English electro legends The Chemical Brothers, whose light show and set up were as exciting as the music. The crowd at the front was fun and cheerful, and everything was in place for a good concert. Earplugs made the experience a lot better though, letting you hear the actual music behind the overwhelming bass and preventing your ears from bleeding! All in all it was a great night, especially for music and the lack of rain, and tonight PJ Harvey and The Strokes are sure to bring the crowd a great time, and I definitely recommend Tarrus Riley and Duane Stephenson for reggae enthusiasts.

To the sound of African drums and a little bit of last minute hammering on various stands, the Paléo conference revealed yesterday that all was ready for another great festival. Daniel Rossellat the president of the festival, showed the press round the various installations, the first being the OBOX. This is a giant water fountain, surrounded by pools and footbridges and with stepping stones to jump across the water. The structure, designed by the students of Hes-SO (University of Applied Sciences Western Switzerland) will be a great place to cool off if these high temperatures continue. At night time, the installation will be lit up and luminous with various light projections, a place definitely to check out! Below- Mr Daniel Rossellat and a student demonstrate their agility on the stepping stones Hes-SO are involved in many other projects at Paléo including the designing of the Paléo poster, the video clips on the giants screens, the play park in the Mielmelo area for children (see last year's post about this area), a project called Have Fun in a responsible way this is an awareness campaign in the car park for festival goers to appoint a designated driver, an ice machine where you can order an ice lolly from the chemistry students prepared by a robot! As the spotlight on the music this year in the Village du Monde is on South Africa,the area is made up of "giant necklaces" in the form of huts and African stalls selling wares reflecting the sounds, flavours and colours of the region. Each year the festival has a social partner and this year it is the Neuchatel based IMBEWU Suisse. This charity works for the integration of youth through sport. Below - Finishing touches to the Village du Monde