Even though there were storm clouds brewing on Friday night, a decent sized crowd gathered to watch (albeit under umbrellas) the fabulous " Oi Va Voi" on the Caribana main stage on Friday night. By the time the band were into their fourth number the rain had started to die down, the enthusiasm of the crowd gathered momentum, umbrellas were put away and many in the crowd started dancing. Oi va Voi are a band that originate from London (they takes their  name from a Yiddish-derived exclamation popular in modern Hebrew which translated to approximately "Oh, dear!" (source Wikipedia) Their music is a mixture of dance, rock, and "world music"  and the band itself is made up of a combination of cultural and ethnic backgrounds, and all of them are extremely talented from Steve Levi on clarinet to Anna Phoebe on violin, to name a few. Lead singer Bridgette Amofah is a sublime singer and performer and along with encouraging crowd participation she led the band through some tracks from their old album "Laughter through tears" ( Yesterday's mistakes, Refugee etc) and some from their new album  "Travelling the face of the Globe" .

On Thursday evening 22nd June, Living in Nyon was briefly featured on Swiss German TV . The 7pm nightly news programme interviewed various British expats living in the la Côte region to find out their opinion on the (then) upcoming Brexit vote. Scroll to 02:57 in the film to see the founder and editor of Living in Nyon give her opinion (30 secs!) to reporter Alexandra Gubser. This was filmed by the lake in Nyon. If you don't speak German, to summarise briefly, she says; “I go back to one of the original reasons that the EU was founded in the first place - to promote peace and prosperity. I feel all European countries should stick together". In the film you can see J im's British market in Gland , the Director of Tourism in Geneva talking about the importance to the economy due to the many British tourists that visit Switzerland, there is also an interview with the Geneva representative of the British Swiss Chamber of Commerce . Note: Living in Nyon was also interviewed by the Swiss newspaper Le Matin on the same subject. Unfortunately there is no available online link to the article. Photo above is of the new garden mural in Nyon to celebrate 100 years of the Nyon-St Cergue-La Cure train.

Photo above - Swiss buns for sale on the 1st August - Here's a fun article on the Newly Swissed site entitled "9 Unmissable foods for Swiss National Day" Here in the Nyon area there are various activities organised for Swiss National Day 2016. In Nyon there will be an official ceremony beginning at the Esplanade des Marroniers at 19:45 with an apéro, ringing of bells at 20:20 followed by the presentation of the flags at 20:25, the reading of the 1291 pact, and then singing of the Prière Patriotique. The address this year will be given by Mr Philip Jennings, Secretary General of UNI Global Union  (see interview here) . This will be followed by a message from M. Joel Guy on behalf of Nyon churches. There will then be a parade which will start at the esplanade des Marroniers, it will wind its way along the Grand-Rue, on to Rue St-Jean, Rue de la Colombière, the Quai des Alpes and it will finally arrive at the place des Fêtes de Rive, there will then be fireworks at 22.15. Note - this parade is fun for families, children carry lanterns through the streets and down to the lake side to watch the fireworks. In Prangins the Château de Prangins will be open from 10:00 -17:00 and entry will be free on this day for visitors! In Rolle there will be an official ceremony beginning at 18.30 at the Château of Rolle. More details here

Photo above - C. Nelson-Pollard.  " Warpaint " from Los Angeles, playing in the Chapiteau tent last night There are many ways you can get to Paléo, whether it is by unicycle, or in a supermarket trolley - see pictures below! For those who want to go by more traditional methods, the Paléo website lists all of these in English and reminds music lovers that if you want to use public transport, most regions in western Switzerland operate a rail or coach service, at a special Paléo fare and Nyon's district buses even offer free of charge service!  TL and TPG buses cover the cities of Lausanne and Geneva on arrival of the special night trains. See link here  If you really want to take your own car there is a good explanation about the  car parking facilities  on this link here.  Food, Glorious, Food Living in Nyon writer Jonas has already mentioned in a previous post about all the fabulous food on offer at the festival and this year there is an amazing range,  particularly in the Village du Monde area. The queues in this area are not always as long as in the main food area nearer the entrance, so it's worth walking that little bit further to discover other culinary delights, which this year from the Middle East. The editor can definitely recommend the vegetable samosas from the Pakistan stall (apparently the spinach  delicacies from the "Istanbul" stall are very tasty too!) Photo above - Delicious vegetable samosas Photo above and below - relax with food under the exotic tents in the Village du Monde or eat at a table next to the hundred old olive trees, specially brought in for the festival! Photo above - Paléo baby. You are never too young (or old) to rock and roll and enjoy the music!

Opening night of the musical "Thoroughly Modern Millie " (performed by the Really Youthful Group- part of the Geneva Amateur Operatic Society) will be next Friday the 28th August. This youth group work hard each summer to put on a great production for adults and children alike. This year there is a cast of 30 aged from 9-17 with over 50 people involved in lighting, sound, make-up etc. Rehearsals have been taking place three times a week in Nyon and in Gex since the month of July. The directors, Christophe Desorbay and Stephanie Abbott (also youths themselves) say; "The cast are all passionate about musical theatre. It's obvious when you see them rehearse as you can feel that they love what they are doing. There is so much talent and commitment in this show, it's incredible!" These shows are becoming a tradition in Nyon to mark the end of summer before the youths and children return to school (local schools return on Monday and many international schools the following week). Productions are on Friday August 28th at 20:00 Saturday August 29th at 15:00 and 19:30 and Sunday August 30th at 15:00 and can be booked on line at the theatre in english. These shows are popular and sell out fast! Synopsis: Thoroughly Modern Millie is a high-spirited musical romp that had all of New York dancing the Charleston. Taking place in New York City in 1922, Thoroughly Modern Millie tells the story of young Millie Dillmount, who has moved to the city in search of a new life for herself. It's a New York full of intrigue and jazz - a time when women were entering the workforce and the rules of love and social behaviour were changing forever. Based on the popular movie, the stage version of Thoroughly Modern Millie includes a full score of new songs and bright dance numbers.

The sun is shining right now and the weather just gorgeous. However, May can often be a rainy month here in Vaud, so here are some suggestions as to where to take children to play on inclement days, or where to leave them for a few hours if you need to shop. A big thankyou to the Mums and Tots in IWCN (International Womens' Club of Nyon) for these tips and hints. It's not a comprehensive list, so if you know of somewhere new that's not on here, do let me know and don't forget, there's lots more info in the book Know it all Passport . If if you don't want to venture out, then why not let them be creative with a craft kit from Castor Bleu to assemble at home. These kits are inexpensive and designed by a local business in Crans. See advert on the sidebar. The La Garenne Zoo in Le Vaud. Birds of prey and animals from the Jura. Open year round Glazy Days - Painting on ceramics, for adults and children from aged 2. Call for an appointment. Arteplace - Art Classes for Children, Teenagers and Adults in Rolle. Shopping centres The garderie in Chavannes Centres .Takes children from 2 1/2 to 6 years and will look after children for a maximim of 2 hours. Signy Creative Kids Migros in Nyon on the first floor Garderie " Les Gazouillis takes children 2- 7 years Ikea ballpark and Pfister furniture store (children must be 3 years old at both these places) Swimming Swimming pool in Clinique La Ligniere (just past Gland) Membership required Public Swimming pools in Bassins closes 6th July-23rd August 2009 Nyon indoor pool (closes 17 May when outdoor pool by the lake opens for summer). Misc Baby Gym in Vich Museums Chateau de Prangins Musée du Leman Further afield Games Museum in La Tour de Peilz Aquaparc in Bouveret (site in English)

"The Adventures of Tin Tin",  a new film directed by Stephen Spielberg and produced by Peter Jackson, will be released here in Nyon next Wednesday the 26th October at the Capitole cinema with two screenings of the film at 15:15 and at 18:00. There are lots of events happening around this big event due to the  link between Nyon and one of the Tin Tin books  written by Belgian artist Hergé.  The story, "The Calculus Affair" (in French - "L'affaire Tournesol")  is set both in Geneva and in Nyon and some of the landmarks in the illustrations  in this book can still be seen in Nyon today. Above - Le Maitre Jacques statue in Nyon featured in The Calculus Affair. Nyon tourist office organises tours throughout the year to see these landmarks such as: the 1953 fire service jeep, the house of Professor Topolino in Route de St Cergue, the Maitre  Jacques statue in Rue de Rive, and the walk along the Quai des Alpes along the lake side. The latter has barely changed since the illustrations were first drawn in the book, the plane trees and the green benches are still there!  Check out the UK Tin Tin site for more interesting information.. Events happening around next week's launch of film in Nyon. 13:00 Guided tour in the steps of Tin Tin in the company of Jean- Michel Paccaud and Luc Paracchini (Tin Tin experts from the Alpart association  (Les amis suisses de Tintin). The tour begins at  Place Saint-Martin. Note: Reservations necessary for the tour and must be made by Tuesday afternoon. C all Nyon tourist office on 022-365 66 00   Places limited to 25. From 13:00 The 1953 Fire service jeep Willys will be displayed in Place St Martin for fans to see. Competition for dogs! Do you have a dog that looks like Milou (Snowy) in the Tin Tin books? If so, take it to Place St Martin from 15:00 to be judged in a look alike competition. The winning dog  will have its photo taken and published in La Côte newspaper with  other prizes. Shop window competition  There are 21 shop windows around Nyon that have Tin Tin posters displayed to coincide with the launch of the film. Each window  has an extract of a sentence, piece all these together and you will discover another sentence. Send your answer to Nyon tourism before the 6th November to win a prize! MAIN EVENT  Screenings of the film  "The Adventures of Tin Tin"  at 15:15 and at 18:00 at the Capitole Cinema. From the 26th Ocotber different Tin Tin products will be on sale at the cinema. A few fun facts about the new Tin Tin film (courtesy Nyon tourist office) Hergé is the pen name for Georges Remi. The name is a play on the French pronunciation of his initials in reverse: R.G. Hergé created Tintin in 1929 as a comic strip in Le Petit Vingtième , a children's supplement to the Belgian newspaper Le XXe Siècle ( The 20th Century ). Hergé was himself a Boy Scout and created Tintin with the Boy Scouts in mind. The Adventures of Tintin have been collected into 24 books in total. The last complete adventure was published in 1976. The 24th title, Tintin and the Alph-Art , was never completed but published posthumously in 1986. The Tintin books have sold over 250 million copies worldwide and have been translated into 100 languages. Hergé’s signature ligne claire style (or clear line) influenced such artists as Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein. Tintin’s adventures took him to both real and fictitious locations. Hergé was an “armchair traveller” and based his drawings by meticulously recreating places around the world based on pictures in National Geographic and other references. The Tintin stories incorporate a number of genres, including mystery, adventure, fantasy, science fiction and satire, all with elements of comedy.  Hergé based Tintin’s environment on his own home town of Brussels, Belgium, though the city is not mentioned by name. One of the film’s conceptual designers travelled to Brussels to gather references for designing iconic locations like Tintin’s apartment at 26 Labrador Road and Marlinspike Hall. Tintin is the character’s last name (we don’t know his first). He is somewhere between 17 and 19 years old. He is an investigative reporter by profession, an adventurer and a detective, skilled at nearly everything, and honest and decent by nature. Tintin lives at 26 Labrador Road. He is played by Jamie Bell in the film. Snowy is a white Fox Terrier (technically not a breed that exists as fox terriers have brown and black markings). He often finds the missing clue or saves the day but quickly reverts to his animal nature when Mrs. Finch’s cat is around. He is also known to take a sip of Haddock’s liquor when the opportunity arises. Captain Archibald Haddock’s first name is unknown until the final book, Tintin and the P icaros. He is a salty sea captain fond of colorful insults and partial to drink. He is introduced in The Crab with the Golden Claws . He is played by Andy Serkis in the film. Thompson & Thomson (mind your p’s) are plain-clothed policemen. Though they’re often referred to as the “Thom(p)son Twins”, they are not twins. In fact, they are not related. Their only discernable difference is the shape of their moustaches—Thompson’s curls up at the ends, while Thomson’s does not. They tend to garble, bumble and bungle anything they can, including words. They are played by Nick Frost (Thomson) and Simon Pegg (Thompson) in the film. Omar Ben Salaad is a wealthy businessman who lives in Morocco. He appears to be the pillar of his community, but in realty has some shady dealings and shadier friends. He is played by Gad Elmaleh in the film. Ivan Ivanovitch Sakharine is a collector of model ships with a mysterious past. He has come to live at Marlinspike Hall. He is played by Daniel Craig in the film. Hergé believed Steven Spielberg was the perfect director to bring his characters to the big screen. Unfortunately, he passed away just days before he and Spielberg were to meet for the first time. The film’s story is taken from The Secret of the Unicorn (book #11, published 1942-1943), The Crab with the Golden Claws (book #9, published 1940-1941) and Red Rackham’s Treasure (book #12, published 1943-1944). When Steven Spielberg approached Peter Jackson about his company Weta Digital creating an animated test for Snowy, Jackson sent him a clip with the Lord of the Rings director himself playing Captain Haddock while an animated Snowy cavorts around him. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost worked with movement coach, choreographer and Cirque de Soleil veteran Terry Notary for a week to create the carefully coordinated pratfalls of Thompson and Thomson. Jamie Bell said the physical demands of the role of Tintin exceeded even those of his performance as young dancer in Billy Elliot . Most of the Weta animators working on the film were lifelong Tintin fans. Among the images Hergé meticulously researched were the vehicles that appeared in the comics, such as a 1937 Ford and a sea plane. The animation team followed suit, locating even the model and year to use as reference for the versions that appear in the film. Over a dozen countries were represented by the film’s cast and crew, including Czech Republic, South Africa, Germany, Italy, France, the UK, New Zealand, Australia and the U.S.

Photo above  Heidi, a stall holder at the Saturday market in Nyon selling cupcakes.   See Heidi Bakery There are two jazz concerts on this weekend in Nyon, the first is tonight Friday the 18th November at 20:30 in the Conservatoire de l'Ouest Vaudois with a performamce by "Antwork".  Click here for more details of this concert. The second concert will be held tomorrow night the 19th at the underground venue of Novidonium (entry via the Mumbai Bar) this is a venue where local and international artist perform. Details of this concert here   Concert begins at 22:00. Living in Nyon at Saturday market tomorrow Also, tomorrow the 19th November, why not come along to the morning Saturday market in Nyon and say "hello" to the Living in Nyon editor who will be at a stall there. Ask her questions about living in the region and take the opportunity to pick up a copy of  the " Living along Lac Léman book" at the same time. The position of the stall is not yet known so just walk past them all until you find it! The market operates from 08:00 to 14:00. Photo below, another store holder at the market.

Living in the Know - May 2016 The theme of this month's podcast is "Living things", as Lisa and Catherine talk about a local zoo in Le Vaud, and provide information on where to leave your pets when you go on holiday. They also give advice on how to avoid duck fleas in the lake , and tell you what to do if you spot the hazardous marching caterpillars that can sometimes be found in this area. In , Lisa concludes by teaching Catherine four French words that have only one possible gender. This podcast has kindly been sponsored by DreamCars-Rental . https://soundcloud.com/living-in-nyon/may2016?in=user-561045975/sets/living-in-the-know-1

Why is this fish everywhere in Nyon? This fish which is on flags and signs all around Nyon is a symbol of the town. Most folk think it is a perch but it is called a "poisson d'argent" which translates as a "silver fish". A fish was chosen for the flag as orginally Nyon was a small town of fisherman on the lake. The anecdote goes that (the flag) with the fish on the red and blue background , symbolises the fish going from blue of the lake to the red heat of the cooking pot! However, perch is one of the local specialities here and it is caught in lake in the summer. Served in fillets with chips (french fries) and lemon butter sauce and salad, it's delicious. There are some small fishermens' huts along the lake side where you can buy freshly caught fish by the kilo. Fillet of Perch on a plate Perch is on the menu at many restaurants in Nyon and the suurounding area. Fishermens' huts

According to Météo Suisse, the weather is due to warm up considerably over the next few days and from Wednesday onwards it's going to be hot, dry and sunny - perfect for an outdoor music festival by the lake, perfect for Caribana! Tickets for Saturday night have now sold out but there still are tickets available for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Don't forget Caribateens on Sunday for any teenagers in the family. Take a look at the Caribana programme here . Below are a selection of video clips from some of the bands that will playing at the 5 day festival, from Irish band  Kodaline (announced by the BBC as "The Sound of 2013") , to U.S Rockers "Queens of the Stone Age" (both bands are on the line up for  Thursday) to Taylor Momsen who fronts the band   "The Pretty Reckless"  Taylor Momsen also starred in the television series "Gossip Girl".

A signed bike route around Lac Léman has been put in place following five years’ collaboration between the French and Swiss authorities. The route, which was inaugurated this summer, comprises nearly 200 km of mainly quiet roads with fantastic views over the lake and the landscapes beyond. On the Swiss (northern) side of the lake, the route is marked by red signposts bearing the number 46, while on the French (southern) side the signposts are green and white and bear the title ‘Tour du Léman’. Jenny Rietbergen-McCracken recently tested out this new route and reported back for Living in Nyon. In her article you can discover which was the hardest part of the route , r ecommended places to stay and eat , some tips to bear in mind and where it might be best to ignore the road signs!   Over to Jenny I was very happy to find this well-designed, well-marked bike route when I was planning a round-the-lake cycle last August. Our family had done a similar cycle some years ago and we’d spent ages plotting out our itinerary, trying to find a compromise between the shortest possible route (sticking to the lake road) and the quietest possible route (which inevitably involves going up hills). Once on our way, we had to stop regularly to check our maps, and on a few occasions break the bad news to the kids that we’d taken a wrong turn and needed to head back up the hill! This time round, it was just my teenage son Sam and myself and we gave ourselves two days to complete the challenge. We had a great time and loved being immersed in the stunning beauty of this region. We came back with our minds full of wonderful images, including the vineyard terraces of Lavaux, the forest paths through the Grangettes nature reserve, and the clear blue waters of the lake. We took the recommended clockwise direction to stay as close as possible to the lake. Photo above - Jenny starting the cycle ride in Geneva with the Jet d'Eau in the background. The route designers have done a very good job of finding the right balance between the shortest and the most scenic. On the Swiss section, relatively little time is spent on the lake road. Instead the clearly positioned signs take cyclists on quieter roads, traffic-free tracks and in a few instances, dedicated cycle paths. On the French side, there are longer stretches on the busy lake road but also plenty of time on lovely country lanes. Only once or twice did I swear at the designers (on the French side) when they seemed to take us on unnecessary detours uphill. However I must admit to swearing at the same French-side designers more frequently when the bike path signs seemed to disappear or, worse still, point in the wrong direction. Overall though, it is a path well worth following. Some Tips to Bear in mind The best place to start is probably Cornavin train station. The signs start right outside the station and take you along the Rue de Lausanne. A good place to overnight is Montreux. It’s just over halfway round and has the best choice of accommodation, including a Youth Hostel and plenty of hotels (we stayed in the three-star Hotel Helvetie which was very comfortable and had a locked garage to store our bikes safely). We left Cornavin at 8am and, with a couple of hours’ stops along the way, were enjoying pre-dinner ice-creams in Montreux at 6pm. Don’t bother carrying lots of water. There are plenty of ‘eau potable’ fountains along the way, as well as public toilets with very drinkable tap water. I would recommend taking a rest stop in Rolle, which involves a slight detour off the bike route. After going past the Le Rosey school on the outskirts of Rolle and joining the Route des Quatre-Communes, as the bike route signs indicate, ignore the left-hand turn and carry on down the Route des Quatre-Communes till it hits the lake road (Grand Rue). Boccard tea-room has a lovely garden terrace where you can indulge in a well-earned coffee break while keeping your bikes within sight and enjoying the views onto the lake. Then carry on the lake road and rejoin the bike route in Perroy. Morges makes a good lunch stop, with plenty of eatery options (e.g. on the pedestrian Grand-Rue, which runs parallel to the lake road after you pass the chateau). In Lutry I would recommend turning right off the bike route to follow the lakeside promenade and enjoy a rest on one of the benches by the lake, or in one of the cafes along the promenade. You will need your energy to do the next part of the route – see below.   The Hardest Part of the Route The hardest part of the whole route is just after Lutry, on the long climb up through the vineyards of Lavaux. The alternative is to stick to the lake road but that would mean missing the stunning views and the exhilaration of speeding down after struggling up! Photo above - Sam Rietbergen at the top of Lavaux Cycle past the iconic Château de Chillon For some reason the bike route stays on the busy lake road from Vevey to Montreux and beyond. There is no need to do this, and at your first opportunity (in Clarens) it is far preferable to turn right off the lake road to join the lakeside promenade that will take you all the way through Montreux, Veytaux, past the iconic Château de Chillon, through Grandchamp and as far as the campsite at the entrance of Villeneuve. Photo above - Sam cycling past the hide at the  Grangettes nature reserve  The French-side signage is not so frequent and includes several variants (including a ‘sportif’ option for going up the hills to avoid the busy lake road). I would recommend ignoring the signage and sticking to the lake road all the way to Evian. The traffic is quite busy but there is usually a well-marked bike lane and you are very close to the lake and views across to where you’ve come from, to take your mind off the noise and busyness. Photo above -  Bike parked at Noville Ignore the bike route signage at the big roundabout as you leave Amphion-les-Bains (just after Evian) – the signs will take you in the wrong direction. Instead, take the roundabout exit just before the flyover, i.e. on the road that runs parallel to (and just below) the flyover. Follow this road (Route des Vignes Rouges) as it runs parallel to the lake road (Avenue de Thonon). Then, soon after going over a bridge over the river Dranse, you will see the bike route signs again – follow them as they take you right on Avenue de Ripaille – and you can follow the bike route signs from now on, all the way till you re-enter Switzerland again at Hermance. Evian is a good place to stop for coffee on the morning of Day 2 – there are nice lakeside café terraces as you come into the town. There are plenty of lunch options on the French side – we decided to hold out till Yvoire but if you wanted to eat earlier Anthy-sur-Léman also offers lakeside eating. If you overnight in Montreux, Day 2 is a slightly shorter ride than Day 1; we left Montreux at 8:30am and arrived in Geneva at 5:30pm. The bike route brings you right back to Cornavin station – where you can celebrate your achievement with anything from a glass of wine to a vegetable smoothie! More information The following three sites Tour du Léman,   Veloland Tour du Leman a Velo  provide more details of the route, maps and practical information. About the author  Jennifer Rietbergen-McCracken is a freelance researcher and writer/editor specialising in sustainable development and nature conservation. Her email address is: jennifer.rietbergen@wanadoo.fr All photos above - J. Rietbergen-McCracken