Reviews of films at festival 2009 21st April 2009 Read here   The world at your door for seven days in Nyon24th April  Read here  Films: Cubans in Europe 24th April Read here Films :Plane days and Perestroika26th April Read here  40 years of the festival27th April Read here  Films:Stocks shares mothers and war recipes.28th April Read here   Film: No sex in "Supermom" but a super film28th April Read here  Final two days of the festival

In October 2010, Living in Nyon reader Celia Marsh  wrote about what it is like to live in Divonne in France , (just a few miles from Nyon).  Here is another article, also about living in on Divonne , but this time it comes from long time resident John Burley. John is a "Conseiller Municipal" in the town and here he writes about the activities of the local council, from decisions on whether to build a new primary school, to the state of Divonne's finances, to what to do with the area around the old railway station and how not everything in France is run from Paris.... Lettre d'un élu de Divonne-les Bains. The other day, I saw Celia Marsh's article about living in Divonne-les-Bains on this web site.  As a long-time resident of the station thermale and now Conseiller Municipal, it was a pleasure to read her words.  She got it completely right.  Divonne is a great place to live.  As long as Divonne preserves its wonderfully green environment, the result is there for all to see (and not least the 1000 frontaliers who quite rightly prefer to have the best of both worlds, a Swiss income and a French residence). So it was not difficult to accept the invitation to join Etienne Blanc's team for the municipal elections of 2008.  Fortunately, there are no national political considerations at play in communal deliberations.  The current Conseil Municipal in Divonne is pretty representative of the commune – we have " les vrai divonnais ", from families who have been here for several generations; some more recent arrivals in the area from elsewhere in France or from former French colonies; and les internationaux .  75 Nationalities living in the Commune There are over 75 nationalities living in the commune: eligibility for election to the Conseil Municipal is open to citizens of states members of the European Union, so in addition to the franco-francais, there are several Conseillers from other European countries.  I have British and French nationality.  Having decided to continue to live in Divonne after my retirement, I felt the slogan "no taxation without representation" was for me since I had to be able to vote if I was going to pay French taxes.  I am afraid the gendarme who interviewed me when I applied for French nationality did not appreciate the joke. The lake, the primary school, the tennis courts. Public service is in my genes.  Having spent almost all my professional life in the United Nations where we "think globally" most of the time, I was delighted to be offered the chance to "act locally".  Communal discussions and decisions do directly affect the lives of residents.  In the last few months we have been discussing in the Conseil Municipal: whether or not to build a new primary school to accommodate the requirements of the growing number of young families moving to Divonne (yes); how to develop the area around the beautiful lake so popular to so many people from Vaud, Geneva and the Pays de Gex (some answers: a new horse riding club and a new 4 star hotel); whether to install new tennis courts at the Divonne tennis club (yes); what to offer as cultural events at the much frequented Esplanade du Lac (a highly diversified and international programme); how to support a very active community of over 100 local associations (a new Maison des Associations ); what new shops and restaurants could best complement the incredibly popular Sunday market; and so on. From Street Dance to Brazilian music - A variety of events on offer for Divonne residents. Money is not the headache The biggest headache?  Surprisingly, this is not money.  As a member of the Commission des Finances , I can vouch that Divonne's finances are in good shape.  We have diversified our sources of revenue.  We are slowly but surely weaning ourselves away from financial dependency on the casino (the share of the casino is down from over 80% to less than 25%).  The tax base is solid, and tax-payers are better off in Divonne than elsewhere in the Pays de Gex.  The compensation franco-genevoise – French communes receive back a share of the income tax paid in Geneva by their resident frontaliers – grows each year.  The typical image of France is that everything is run from Paris.  In fact, local authorities in France have considerably more power over local finances than their British equivalents. What to do with the old railway station area? No, the biggest challenge facing Divonne is: what to do with the Quartier de la Gare?  This eyesore in the centre of Divonne has been left untouched for far too long.  There is broad agreement on many things – underground parking, a mixture of low-lying apartment buildings, shops, public services and open green spaces.  But the devil is in the detail: how much of each, how to get the right balance, how to safeguard the environment and what to do with the old railway station.  If all goes well, the plans should be finalized this year, whereupon the commune will launch an international competition for the best design.  Being directly involved in communal affairs is fun and worthwhile.  The Mayor, Etienne Blanc, likes to tease the English from time to time: I hope he doesn't mind the occasional répartie .   Sometimes the meetings become difficult and I get lost, primarily because the French love to talk at 500 words a minute, all at the same time and frequently on tangential issues.  But I am very impressed with the amount of time and effort people are prepared to put, bénévolement , into communal affairs My mother visited Divonne as a very young girl when on holiday in the Jura with her parents some 90 years ago.  According to her diary, she liked it.  Whilst there, she obviously picked up a hereditary disease called "divonnitis".    I hope her son passes the same bug to his children. John Burley, Conseiller Muncipal, Divonne-les-Bains John Burley, British by birth and French by marriage, has lived in Divonne for 23 years. He was educated at a Quaker school in England and at Cambridge University.  Trained as an economist and committed to public service, John spent several years working in Uganda before joining UNDP in New York in the early 1970's.  When he retired from the United Nations in 2004, he was a Director in UNCTAD.  He was invited to join Etienne Blanc's list "Divonne Ensemble" for the municipal elections in March 2008.  An independent member, John is active in several areas of communal life, including finance, economy, tourism and the development of the area around the Lake. He has two daughters and two granddaughters.

Film Festival begins tonight with a free film for the public at the Théâtre du Marens The bright red boards advertising Visions du Réel are now up around the town and everything is in place for another six day film festival (bar any natural disasters - unfortunately last year's festival was affected by the volcanic eruption in Iceland resulting in many cancelled flights for industry professionals and film fans) . New director brings festival closer to Nyon  This year the festival has a new director -  Mr Luciano Barisone at its helm, he comes to Nyon's Visions du Réel  having previously been director of the "Festival dei Popoli"  film festival in Florence in Italy. With a new director comes new innovations: one of these is that this year the festival has been brought closer to the centre of Nyon. Instead of the hub of the festival being at the Usine a Gaz near the lake, all the main activities will now be focussed around Place du Réel (the Salle Communale). This will be the central point and main box office   - the other two box offices will be at the Théàtre du Marens and at the Usine a Gaz. There will also be a restaurant and bar at the Place du Réel. During the festival tickets can be bought in advance either on line or at the box office (in previous years, ticket purchasing was only possible a few hours before each film). Festival continues thoughout the year The other new innovation is that Visions du Réel won't be just a festival for 6 days only, it will continue in some form by showing monthly screenings of documentaries at the Capitole cinema in Nyon throughout the year.  As in previous years there are hundreds of films available for the public to see, workshops with a tribute to a particular film maker, "Premier Pas", (first short films by self taught film makers or film school graduates and their films premiered for the first time in Switzerland). There are international films on offer, short and long films. Many films are entered into different categories of competition and the winners are announced on the final evening of the festival. Swiss films Under the "Helvetique category"  there are various films set in Switzerland, one of these will be shown for the "Avant Premiere", for the general public (free entry) at the Théâtre de Marens, at 19:30 on Wednesday 6th April . This film will be "Le Combat des Reines" -  "The Battle of the Queens"   See festival description below.  One of the most reputed gatherings in the western Alps is the “Battle of the Queens,” when pregnant cows instinctually fight it out to see who will become leader of the herd and defend the pasture. Using precise cinematographic devices, this film relishes in telling the tale of an excited and anxious world centred around one of these competitions Another film in the Helvetique Swiss category is L’Autre Versant de Gstaad - The other side of Gstaad shown on Friday 8th April at 19:30 and  repeated on Sunday at 22:30  at the Capitole 1 cinema. Film description below by Visions du Réel - The village of Gstaad is a famous ski destination. It consists of a series of chalets surrounded by an almost pristine Alpine landscape; for years it had been a refuge for famous people who adored joining the mountain dwellers and basking in anonymity. This notoriety brought tourism in its wake and, consequently, ruined that image, which the locals still recall nostalgically. Focus on Colombia  Amongst the hundreds of films on offer, this year there will be a special focus on the country of Colombia. Living in Nyon spoke to Mr Barisone a couple of weeks ago who said; "it's an exciting time in Colombian film making right now, there is more government  funding available enabling some superb films to be made. For this reason Visions du Réel has invited 12 delegates from Colombia to Nyon to attend the festival. There will be screenings of films and  a round table discussion". Photo below : Visions du Réel  - from the film "Apaporis" (one of the  "Colombia Focus" films) There will be much more on  Visions du Réel on this site over the festival period including reviews of films.

There aren't many places you can get a cup of coffee or tea for 1 Swiss Franc, browse through English books and look at art at the same time. But in Crans-Près Céligny you can. This is because the public library (in the salle communale in the centre of the village) has a whole section of English books that are available to borrow. Above the library there is a spacious gallery which is open to the public where artists can show their work and hold "vernissages". The library has been offering this service since 1974 when the library was first opened and founded by Denise Meier. Artists and photographers who show their work vary from those starting out on their career, to that of the famous Nyon artist Jean Knechtli , to current exhibitor Claude-André Depallens. Photos below: Art from Monseiur Depallens, watercolours of the roofs of St Prex Art painted on the old wooden boards used for cooking Vacherin Mont D'or cheese The artist Krystyna Dislich works as a volunteer at the library and is in charge of the English section and says: "We try to keep up to date with the latest books and a new book is added to the collection each month (this month's addition is " The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" by Mary Ann Shaffer)." There are a considerable amount of English speaking people in the village here and we are catering to a need, we have a cosy reading area for children and kids books in English. We also have an English reading group that meets to discuss books too. For the exhibition space, artists can show their work for around 4-5 weeks, each time there is a new exhibition we inform everyone on our mailing list, so the villagers get the chance to meet others at the vernissage and it's a good social gathering. Membership of the library is just 20 chf for residents of Crans, 30 chf for those from other communes. Opening times are Monday 19:30 -21:00 Wednesday 14:00-15:30 Friday 14:00-16:00 and Saturday 10:00 -12:00 The Library also accepts gifts of books too to add to their collection. If you would like to donate any or have any questions about the library contact either Krystina Dislich (she speaks fluent English) or head librarian Agnes de Boer. Living in Crans. The Village of Crans -Près Céligny is just a few miles from Nyon and has some lovely old buildings, a small supermarket, post office, butcher, restaurants and a chateau. It also plays host to the Caribana festival down by the lake in June. The village has its own site with more information (in French) from when the recycling and rubbish will be collected, to the opening times of its public buildings and offices. Note: There will be a Troc de Jouets on 31st October in the Salle Communale from 11:00 -15:00 (whats a troc? see previous post with explanation) Items on sale such as ski wear, bikes, books and DVDs and and baby equipment. For more information click on "Troc de Jouets" on the village page on "plus d'infos ici" More on living in this village in in a future post. The butcher's shop in the village

After the recent production of videos made in Lausanne and Geneva to the backing track of "Happy" by Pharrell Williams, it was only a matter of time before Nyon produced its own film. Here it is below, you may recognise some familiar faces and places, from the Roman columns, to the man who sells roasted chestnuts in the street in autumn, to staff from the tourist office (see if you can spot those who were at the Living in Nyon "Fun Fondue" for newcomers last week!). Even the statue of Julius Caesar (the founder of Nyon and Living in Nyon's Tweet avatar) makes an appearance!

There are two opportunities this week for jazz lovers to attend concerts in Nyon.   The first is an apéro, an after work drink on Thursday 27th  February in the atmospheric cave (cellar) of Nyon's château. Doors open at 17:00, music at 18:30.   The "Two Monkeys"  jazz duo are on the line up. Just 5 CHF per entry.   See site for more details  and for other events in this "cave". Photo above: The cave/ cellar of Nyon's château The second event is a jazz evening on Friday 28th February in the equally atmospheric 1306 club in the old town in Nyon.   The club holds occasional music events throughout the year. Entry to these events is free however a hat for a contribution to the  performers will be  passed around on the night.  The concert on the 28th will be "Duo Jazz plays Sidney Bechet". Concert starts at 20.30.  More details, check site here.  Photo above: Duo Jazz - courtesy 1306 Club.

Living in Nyon will be at Visions du Réel over the next seven days and will be reviewing and recommending films shown at the festival. Film review - Visions du Réel 2016  - "Like Dew in the Sun"  Screening Sunday 17th at 16:30 and Monday 18th at 11:45 at the Salle Communale. Tickets here The family in the photograph below are the ancestors of the filmmaker Peter Entell who emigrated from Ukraine to the U.S at the beginning of the 20th century. There is a haunting look in the family’s eyes, and a sadness that over a century later Entell shows still continues in the lives of many Ukrainians today. Entell travels to the country to find the village where his grandparents were from and in so doing discovers more than a family history, he finds himself in the middle of a battlefield and in a war zone. The film opens with the sight and ear blasting sound of armaments being fired, followed by the cheering of soldiers. Immediately we are abruptly and shockingly transported straight into modern day Ukraine, to the potholed roads, to the run-down apartment blocks and to the image of a woman crying over dead bodies lying on the ground. The sombre music sets the scene. Entells asks a soldier “There is so much suffering here, so much fighting, so many conflicts here in Ukraine - why?". The soldier sighs deeply, he has no answer. A father in Kiev talks to his sons after they visit a shrine for citizens who have been killed in the conflict, and he laments "unfortunately son, the terror continues”. Entell passes security check points, he films soldiers in their daily lives preparing for battle, and that battle. A story of the current conflict emerges. In the hunt for his relatives, Entell continues to travel around the country, he delves into archives, and with some help and an interpreter, he painstakingly goes through the files of the Jewish people who fled from the Ukraine in 1814. A few years ago, Jean Perret, the previous director of Vision due Réel said that for one week the world comes to Nyon through the medium of film. In Like Dew in the Sun we are indeed thrown in to another world of the lives of the people on Entell's journey, from the modest home of a gold-toothed woman serving tea as her husband tells stories of the war in his childhood, to the harrowing scenes of soldiers today being captured and the fear in their eyes as they await their fate. We see lovely limestone rocks and cliffs in Bakhtchyssarai, a city in central Crimea, sunflower fields en route, beautiful blues and turquoises of the wooden homes in small villages, and bright traditional costumes on the local women. The women sing but the world we see most of is darkness, fighting, sadness and conflict. The soldier at the start of the film tells the filmmaker "It's important to know your history and relatives". Sadly the history that the filmmaker discovers is a tragic one but an important story that needs telling. A powerful and moving film.

Swimming in the lake – The lake is looking particularly gorgeous at the moment and many people are taking advantage of the hot weather and taking a dip in the water to cool off. If you are one of those you might like to know that that there is a small publication called “Carte des Plages du Léman” produced by CIPEL (International Commission for the protection of Leman Waters) which has a map of all the beaches and places you can swim around the entire lake. It also lists the water quality around all of these beaches and you will be pleased to know that many of these fall into “good quality water” category, a few fall into the “average quality” mark and only one beach (on the French side) out of a total of 116 around the entire lake falls into “bad quality” and where you cannot swim. However if you do decide to go for a swim you do need to be aware of the problem of duck fleas. Below is an approximate translation from the publication as to what these are and if you catch them what to do about it. Living in Nyon is delighted that Dr Michelle Wright has helped with this translation and added some other advice of her own. Dr Wright is an English speaking doctor, a General Practitioner, who works part-time for one of the United Nations Organisations in Geneva. She also works as a medical writer and has a weekly programme on WRS called "Health Matters". As well as this, Dr Wright provides First Aid and Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation courses in English through HealthFirst (website under construction). She can be contacted on the email drmichellewright@gmail.com Here is the translation from the leaflet from CIPEL “The beaches around Lac Leman are practically all favourable for swimming. 50 metres from the edge, the water is of good quality to swim in, however it is not safe to drink. Even on an extremely clean beach, there may be a risk of ‘swimmers dermatitis’ or ‘duck fleas’, especially in shallow waters which are rich in vegetation and where the temperature is over 20 degrees centigrade. This is a natural phenomenon and bears no relation to pollution. This dermatological problem is caused by the larvae of a duck parasite that penetrate human skin and cause intense itching. Fortunately it is not dangerous. To avoid ‘swimmers dermatitis’, it is recommended to take a shower immediately after swimming and to dry yourself off vigorously with a towel afterwards. It is also advisable to avoid swimming close to the plants and vegetation near to the water’s edge. If you do get a rash, you should avoid scratching it in order to prevent secondary bacterial infection. The rash should disappear without any traces within 10-20 days.” Dr Michelle Wright also adds What are ‘duck fleas’? ‘Duck fleas’ (‘puces de canard’ in French) are actually a relatively common problem that can result from swimming in Lac Leman. They can lead to an itchy skin rash known as ‘swimmers itch’ or ‘swimmers dermatitis’. Swimmer’s itch is not caused by fleas exactly but by a worm-like parasite whose usual host is the ducks that live in the lake. Whilst you are swimming in the lake, immature forms of the parasite larvae can penetrate ‘mistakenly’ through your skin rather than finding their usual host, a duck. So, humans are infected ‘accidentally’. The parasite actually dies when it enters your skin. However, your body develops an allergic reaction to the parasite and it is this that causes the rash. What are the symptoms? On your first exposure to the parasite, you may not have any reaction or develop any symptoms. However, you can still become ‘sensitized’ to the parasite and the next time that you are exposed to it, symptoms can develop. If symptoms do develop, at first you may notice tiny red spots at the points at which the larvae have penetrated your skin. The spots can be tingly or itchy. After a few hours, the spots tend to become bigger and more ‘pimple-like’ or bumpy. Intense itching is usual at this stage. Occasionally, blistering can occur over the next few days. The rash will develop on areas of the skin exposed to the water. So, skin under a swimsuit can be protected and therefore spared from the rash. If you have developed swimmer’s itch before, you may develop a more severe rash the next time you are exposed to the parasite. What treatment do I need if I get ‘duck fleas’? The rash will eventually go away of its own accord but it may take between 10-20 days to disappear completely. If you have just a few itchy patches, you may not need any treatment. However, most of the time, itching is quite intense. It is important to control itching because scratching can damage your skin further and sometimes lead to a secondary bacterial infection which may need treatment with antibiotics. Calamine lotion or an antihistamine may help to treat itching. Antihistamine liquid is available for children. However, do take care when using antihistamines as some can make you drowsy and so you should not drive whilst taking them. Always read the packet leaflet carefully and get advice from your local pharmacist to make sure that they are safe for you to use. For example, antihistamines may not be safe in certain medical conditions or if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. A mild corticosteroid cream such as 1% hydrocortisone can also sometimes be helpful. Again, get advice from a pharmacist before using this. Rarely, in very severe cases, steroids taken by mouth may be needed. How can I avoid ‘duck fleas’? As suggested by CIPEL (International Commission for the protection of Leman Waters): Take a shower as soon as you get out of the water. Most of the beaches around the lake have showers available on the lakeside. Dry yourself off with a towel after your shower. The brisk rubbing motion with a towel can help to stop the larvae from penetrating your skin. Avoid swimming close to the plants and vegetation at the water’s edge as these can be a particular habitat for the parasite Also some general points about safety around water: Always take care whilst swimming in the lake or anywhere else. Many drowning incidents could have been prevented. Never leave children unattended. If you are watching children playing in or near water, take care not to become distracted by e.g. talking on your phone, reading etc. Learn to swim. Teach children to swim. Don’t swim alone; swim with a buddy. Don’t swim whilst under the influence of alcohol. Know the water where you are swimming. Remember that lakes and rivers can have strong currents. Don’t dive or jump into unfamiliar or shallow water. Everyone on board should wear a life jacket when in a boat. At home: use fencing with locked gates around pools. Use pool alarms/pool covers.

Here are two reviews of films at Visions du Réel. The first by Trish Thalman is of " Pequenas Voces", a film which is part of the "Focus on Colombia" series. Trish says this is a "splendid and poignant film" (unfortunately this will not be shown again at this festival), and the second film is " Victoria" set in Romania is reviewed by Kathy Morf, this film will be shown again Sunday 10th April 22:00 at the Capitole 2 cinema. "Pequenas Voces" directed by Jairo Carillo and Oscar Andrade. A creative and dedicated team of filmmakers and animation artists have made a splendid and poignant film on behalf of  “the kids, and what they have to say”. The ‘kids’ are four Colombian children who each tell their own story with crayons and paper and voice-overs that take on the tones of delight, happiness, sadness, and the sunny pragmatism that only children can have about war, death, and stunning changes in their lives. Their voices bring to life the one-dimensional drawings that, at first, reflect the lively, colourful and innocent lives they once lived in the countryside.  FARC guerillas invade the lush, peaceful countryside.  The animation moves through four inter-woven stories that move from colourful farmhouses to muted shades of battlefields to accompany the painful reality of what has occurred in the lives of these four children, when FARC guerrillas and Colombian army troops invade the lush, peaceful countryside where they lived, grew coffee beans and corn, played with family, friends, beloved pets and animals that provided the family with food and income. A thirteen year old is offered $25 to leave home and join the guerillas One young boy age 13 is enamoured with the Guerrilla Commander who comes to his poor farmhouse where he lives with his mother, and kindly shows him glossy coloured pages with photos of a variety of guns, offers him $25 to leave home and join the Guerrillas. The oldest ‘recruit’ in his group of ‘child soldiers’ is fifteen.  He learns to shoot guns and marvels at his target accuracy.  He is sent to the ‘front line’ during a fierce gunfight and empties two magazines of bullets, shooting into the air, being terrified that he will hurt or kill someone.  This is not the glamorous life with guns he was ‘promised’. After three months, he is able to return to his mother, no longer an innocent child. A clever young girl from a happy farming family tells of the jokes her father is always playing with her and her two sisters.  One day a group of masked rebels with guns came to their farmhouse and take her father away. She runs to him to tell him not to leave. He picks her up and says “do not worry, I will be back”.  In a matter-of-fact statement, she tells us that her father’s papers were found in a field three days later, but they do not know if he is alive or dead.   A 16-year-old boy sketches his vital story.  He is playing football with his brother, outside their farmhouse when he was 10. A grenade is lobbed onto the field and explodes next to him. He loses his arm and leg. He nearly dies. When he returns to his home, he can only crawl, unable to stand.  One day he is taken to a Foundation and receives a new arm and leg.  He asks for “no pity” and blames no one. He now plays football as a goalie. There were too many painful accidents for his opponents when he played midfield, because of the hard, strong materials in his new leg. The film takes you beyond the sketches of guns, helicopters, bloody bodies, dead animals, burned-out farmhouses that somehow become stories of hope, acceptance and a better future for the little voices that speak for themselves and on behalf of the hundreds of other children who have lived the same pain and sorrows of war in Colombia. "Victoria"  – Film directed by Adrian Voicu & Ana Vlad . A Romanian City caught between two times    Here is Kathy’s Morf's fourth review “ of the film Victoria”. This will be shown again on Sunday 10 th April at 22h00 at the Capitole 2 Cinema. This is an international premiere and is the second movie of a triology after last year's “Metrobranding”.   Kathy says; “This first shot takes the viewer to a Romanian city located at the foot of the Transylvanian Alps. It has been caught in time between then and now. We are taken into the lives of families after the American chemical plant shut down. The film begins well and has me captivated but loses me after fifteen minutes. It has potential but I found it dragged on too long with many little stories instead of showing one continuous story that lasts through the entire 54 minutes”.    Stinks like rotten fish   Victoria City was built in 1954 to welcome an American chemical plant. It is a typical Romanian city with white and grey communist blocs that are left crumbling with peeling paint. The plant brought prosperity to the city but also sickness, foul smells and death. We listen to the families tell us about their experiences with the plant and their attachment to the city. A hunter confides: “I thought about leaving many times. Once my wife and I took a few days vacation in Slovakia and heard a Romanian love song on the radio. I was homesick and came straight back. I love the Transylvanian mountains and the hunting here is amazing. I couldn’t do this everywhere.”  A police officer drives us around Victoria and says  “There were two cities in Romania I never wanted to work in ,and Victoria was one of them. I am still here after five years. The city has stood still, nothing changes here. Maybe if they had changed the name of the city would have helped. There are many poor people living here.”  Then we see a hunter who welcomes us into his home. His walls are covered with hundreds of deer antlers. The floor and couches are covered in bear and other animal furs. With his friends they caught a wild boar and are getting ready to cut it up into pieces. The men cut up the large pieces and the women prepare the sausages.  “There was always a foul smell from the factory but you got used to it after a while.” they say “The amines smelt like rotten fish.” “Many people died at an early age after having worked for years at the plant.” The "Paradise" restaurant is empty except for one person . We move to the fire department where training takes place. Men in uniform arrive in a rush and get ready. Two fire trucks are slowly driven out and parked. About thirty firemen stand in a neat line waiting for instructions. They stand stiffly and sing the national Anthem.  We see the paradise restaurant which is empty except for one person. A communist propaganda painting on the wall shows a happy couple in front of the red flag. Cancelled has been painted over it. In the "cultural house", a discussion about the organization of the European Union is being held. “Do you want to become a European citizen?” an elderly man asks.   All these stories give us a better idea of a city caught between two times and makes us wonder if it will ever change or remain the same as it has been since 1954. 54 minutes in length Spoken in Romanian, Subtitles in English and French

If Reggae's your thing and you are interested in all things Jamaican, then did you know there is a Jamaican Association in Switzerland? Next Saturday 16th there will be a Jamaican party with food over in the Salle Communale in Eysins (just outside Nyon) For more info Tel: 076 575 1109 Below - Recent views of Nyon. It's looking particularly glorious at the moment. The pirate ship in the children's playground with castle in background. The Roman Columns

Here is an article on a five day hiking trip in the Val d'Hérens (just 90 minutes drive from Nyon) taken by two Living in Nyon readers in July 2016. Living in Nyon has posted other similar articles such as  testing the new signed bike route around Lac Léman , skiing options in small resorts two hours drive from Nyon  and skiing options  further afield  The Val d'Hérens is a valley full of living traditions, high alpine pastures and even higher mountains. A five day hike around it is a perfect way to experience what the valley has to offer, whilst providing constantly changing scenery, sights and sounds. There is plenty of wildlife: deer, chamois and marmots are not too difficult to see, as are birds of prey and many forest birds. In July there are a multitude of flowers and butterflies even at the highest elevations. Sounds abound too - principally that of running water from fast flowing streams, as well as cow bells and the shrieks of marmots. Carry everything yourself or let the tourist office arrange it for you There are various ways to organise the trip - carry everything yourself for the true hiking experience, or let the Val d'Hérens Tourism Office arrange everything for you - booking hotels and transferring your bag every day so you just carry a day sack. There is an official route, but there are plenty of options to take different paths according to interests, weather conditions and fitness levels. If you have only a few days, public transport links are good, so it's possible to design a trip for two or three days, picking a stretch to suit your tastes. The timings given below are based upon a moderate walking pace. . Day 1: Veysonnaz to the Grande Dixence Dam 6 hours 45 minutes - 18km We set off from the bus station in Sion, taking the 09:10 Postbus up to Veysonnaz where we then took the télépherique up to Thyon2000. The path starts right in front of the top station and soon leads you away from the ski area and into open mountains. Across the valley we could see the small village of Nax, our destination in five days time. One option upon leaving Thyon2000 is to follow the ridge as far as Mont Rouge which affords good views in all directions, we elected to stay lower down and conserve our legs for the hike up to the Grande Dixence dam. We still had great views of the Becs de Bosson, La Maja, the Weisshorn and down into the valley below. Photo above - Val d'Hérens cows with the Grande Dixence in the background The path passes by raised bogs, herds of Val d'Hérens cows and the Cabane d'Essertse (which could be an option to stay over if you start the walk in the afternoon). The dam wall soon comes into view, but quickly lulls you into a false sense of security, as it does not seem to ever get closer - the Grande Dixence is the largest gravity dam in the world and it's a long traverse around the slope to reach it. The path takes you to the top of the dam, whilst the hotel is at the base of the dam wall. The map indicates a path that would take you to the hotel without having to climb up to the top of the dam but we missed seeing it. It is possible, however, to take the cable car down. One other option for those that are fit is to climb up to the Cabane de Prafleuri to stay the night. We opted for the hotel  and although its location is below the imposing dam wall, there was a warm welcome and we had excellent three course meal (as part of a demi-pension option). Once the day tourists have departed, the hotel is quiet and there is nothing much to do, but we were glad of an early night. Day 2: Grande Dixence Dam to Arolla 7 hours 30 mins - 19 km We had a leisurely start, taking the first cable car ride of the day at 09:35 to the top of the dam wall. This was followed by an easy walk to the end of the dam with fantastic views of Mont Blanc de Cheilon, La Sâle and the Aiguilles Rouges d'Arolla. There were plenty of marmots scampering around and the almost obligatory herd of Val d'Hérens cows, with their bells audible from afar. Photo above - the Grande Dixence At the end of the lake the path heads up to the Cabane de Dix. The map shows the path crossing over the river quite soon after the end of the dam, but this is now not marked on the ground. Follow the well marked trail and as the path starts to climb the glacial moraine, the route to the Col de Riedmatten and Pas de Chèvres branches off and is well signposted. It crosses the stream at a new bridge. This is the only disparity we found on the trip between the map and the signposting. If in doubt follow the good signs on the ground! Photo above - stream with glacier water. Mont Blanc de Cheilon in the background Photo above - flowers and route marking at 2500m By now the route is into some wild country travelling through glaciated terrain, with spectacular views all around, and occasional flowers clinging on in surprising places. The geography is still evolving as the glacier retreats and rivers carry silt downstream. There was the constant sound of rock and icefalls reverberating around us, though we never managed to see them. Close to the Col de Riedmatten the route gets a little more difficult as a landslide has carried away the previously route, and the new one is not yet well established. Don't look down! There are two options now, the Col de Riedmatten itself, or the Pas de Chévres. The route up to the Col de Riedmatten is quite steep and there are chains near the top which makes progress easier. The Pas de Chévres has an easier entry, although ends with a series of ladders up a rock face. These are new ladders erected in 2014 in four sections (15-20 steps each) with platforms in between to gather your breath. They have replaced the previous rather scary ones, and should be scalable by most with a reasonable head for heights (if in doubt, don't look down and don't look up, and you'll soon find yourself at the top!). We took the ladder route. Photo above - the first of four ladders at the Pas de Chèvres From there its a gradual descent past ski slopes, more cows and then pine and larch trees to Arolla. Just outside Arolla there is a buvette which is a good place for a drink, an apricot tart, and a moment to contemplate the view. The smell of the pine trees makes a contrast from the rocky vistas of just 90 minutes previously. There are various accommodation options in Arolla. We chose the Kurhaus , one of the historic hotels of Switzerland - all wood, geraniums and memorabilia from its early days - it opened in 1896 and the walls have framed guest lists and accounts that make fascinating reading. The rooms are very comfortable, there are deer in the surrounding forest and warnings not to leave food on the balcony as the squirrels can take off with it. We had an excellent four course dinner (half-board option) and that evening there was a live concert in the lounge area with works by Kreisler, Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms and Debussy. All very civilized. Photo above - 120 years of the Kurhaus. The first guest list from 1896: "Success to the new hotel" Day 3: Arolla to Les Haudères 7 hours 30 mins - 17 km The destination for day three can vary - either being Les Haudères, Evolène or La Sage, though most people seem to favour Les Haudères. There are two main options down to Les Haudères, following the river, or along the contour to the Lac Bleu (though quite a taxing up and down route). After a splendid breakfast looking over the lawn and onto Mont Collon, we took a third route, electing to hike up to the Cabane des Aiguilles Rouges at 2810m before descending to the Lac Bleu. This afforded us spectacular views all around to Mont Collon, the Pigne d'Arolla, Les Aiguilles Rouges d'Arolla (from the other side from the day before), the Dent de Perroc and the Aiguille de la Tsa. Looking down there were views to a spectacular waterfall and the Lac Bleu nestled in forests in the valley. Photo above: Pra Gra above Arolla A great place to take off the boots! The hut is easily reached in three hours (including some stops to admire the views) and we had a cup of tea and homemade cake. This could be a good place for an early lunch, though we made the steep descent to the Lac Bleu to eat our picnic. This is a great place to take off your boots and revitalize your feet in the ice cold water. A few hardy folks were swimming. Photo above - Lac Bleu Then it was down through the trees to La Gouille. After the hike up to and down from the Cabane the bus to Les Haudères is an option, but the walk to Les Haudères is a pleasant one which goes through larch and spruce forests and then alder and birch woodlands before reaching the village and our first taste of "civilization" since leaving Veysonnaz (the Kurhaus is above Arolla and we did not venture into the village there). We stayed at the Hôtel Les Mélèzes , a very nice hotel with the most spectacular collection of flowers on the balconies. Again we had a very tasty four course meal (it should have been five courses but we were already full...). Day 4: Les Haudères to Cabane des Becs de Bosson 7 hours - 12 km An extensive breakfast with a great expresso set us up for the day. We took the bus to Evolène to save a few kilometres as the day was a big one - 1600m uphill. A couple staying at the same hotel and also doing the Val d'Hérens Tour got the hotel taxi to take them a few kilometres further on to Fourcla which also gained them 400m of altitude. Photo above - Evolène, Les Haudères and the Dent Blanche We wandered through the village of Evolène and up through the pastures and forests with the view opening out behind us, to show the Dent Blanche (the Val d'Hérens iconic mountain) and the Ferpècle glacier. Farmers were gathering in hay by hand in the fields. We then had an hour or so climbing gently through larch and spruce forests before emerging into pastures and eventually a buvette at L'A Vieille . This was a very popular place with a "plat du jour" and a long list of desserts which we sampled, to the accompaniment of cow bells. We then navigated the herd of cows and it was onwards to the Pas de Lona. This is part of the Verbier to Grimentz cycle race  and we were overtaken by several cyclists in training for the main event - they breezed past us carrying their bikes. A family came running past us, presumably in training for a fell race. Finally we were at the Cabane des Becs de Bosson and had a well earned rest. That evening there was a family atmosphere with parents and young children having also made the trip. There was a thunder storm and we were treated to a fantastic double rainbow before we turned in early for the night. Day 5: Cabane des Becs de Bosson to Nax 8 hours - 27 km We were up early to watch the sunrise come up and light up the 4000m peaks that are visible from the hut - the Bishorn, Weisshorn, Zinalrothorn, Ober Gaberlhorn, Dent Blanche, the Dent d'Hérens and Mont Blanc. Spectacular! Video - the sunrise from the Becs de Bosson hut We then climbed the Becs de Bosson (getting close to the top before the going got a bit scary) and then made it back to the hut in time for breakfast. The it was then time to set off down to Nax, through the Vallon de Réchy , a nature reserve with unique (for Switzerland) habitats. There was still a lot of snow on the first part of the way down so the walking poles came in handy. Photo above - La Maya, and the route down to the Vallon de Réchy Reaching the Col du Cou in good time we went "off piste" again, climbing Mont Noble where we had lunch with a great view of the Rhone Valley, the Weisshorn in one direction and Mont Blanc in the other. It was then a long way down past more alpages (with more Val d'Hérens cows) and through forests until we reached Nax. Across the valley we could see Thyon2000 and Veysonnaz where we had begun the trip. It was time for a few beers from the local Mont Noble craft brewery . Photo above - from Nax, looking over to the start at Veysonnaz, and down to Sion Some helpful details: The official Val d'Hérens tourism brochure about the Tour is here . The recommended map is Val d'Anniviers & Val d'Hérens Map 23 by Kümmerly+Frey. With this you can add variants to the tour as we did by taking slightly different routes according to the weather, fitness levels and interests. Strong hiking boots at best though hiking shoes are also possible. Poles come in handy, especially when crossing patches of snow on steeper slopes. Hotels and the Cabanes can provide packed lunches. There are supermarkets in Les Haudéres and Evolène. Take plenty of water and sun cream. And a camera.

In addition to all the films being shown here at the festival there are also debates around the world of documentary making. Today Tuesday from 09:00 - 13:00 in the Salle de la Colombiere there will be a workshop with Kazakh Sergey Dvortsevoy on his passion for filmmaking. (Dvortsevoy won his first international prize in Nyon in 1995). At 20:00 there will be a debate and documentaries shown in the presence of filmmakers from the former GDR on the subject of "20 years since the fall of the Berlin wall". Reviews of other films including "C'est Notre Histoire", "Lessons from the Night", "Hotel Sahara", "Home Recordings", and "D'une Rive à L'autre", coming up on Thursday along with a summing up of the entire festival. After films there often can be interesting discussions, the one after the film "Super Mom" on Monday evening certainly triggered many varied opinions contrasting American and European points of view. There's a full two days of films left and on Tuesday and Wednesday that will be shown from 09:00 in the morning until late evening, so if you haven't had the chance to see any films yet, now's your chance. There's a full programme on the Visions Du Réel site