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From filet de perche and Saucisson Vaudois , to cheese Malakoffs , these are just some of the many local culinary delights that expatriates discover when they move to Vaud. Yet from time to time, expatriates also like a taste of food from their own countries, and for this there are local retail options around to source products from "home". Firstly, there is  My Expat Shop com . This successful online shopping site stocks and delivers products across the whole of Switzerland. From British favourites such as Terry's Chocolate Orange and Carnation Evaporated milk or Betty Crocker mixes for its American customers, the shop carries a comprehensive stock of products.  Check out the many different categories of products on the site from the "Baby and Toddler" range to the "Expat Gourmet" range.   My Expat shop also offers customers the option to buy their products at approximately eight different retail outlets across the canton (there is one in Crans près Celigny and in Tannay).  You can find them all listed under the ABC section of the site. The Nyon outlet is the Marché de l'Etraz  . This is a small supermarket on the Route de l'Etraz in Nyon (near the Edward Life Sciences building heading towards Prangins) see map here .  This shop has an area specifically dedicated to exapt products. Should you want a product that you don't see on the shelves, you can order it from the catalogue, just point to the photo in the catalogue if your French isn't quite up to scratch !   The shop is owned by by Mr Kadri Mustafe, and run by the very friendly Madame Vezire Moustafa helped along by her son Lulzim and assistant Madame Mary Luce-Fimon (in photo below).  This shop is open from 08:30 until 20:30 Monday to Saturday and 08:30 to 13:30 on Sunday morning, which  is very useful to know! Listen to the interview here  that the Living in Nyon editor made with Kristine from My Expat Shop on World Radio Switzerland in January 2012.  On it you can hear what the most popular expat food products are requested by customers across Switzerland.  You can also hear what the expats round the table like about local food! The American Market  in Nyon  (there is also a Geneva branch) has been in the centre of the town for around seven years. Along with selling food and products geared to the U.S and Canadian market, it also stocks food and drink for the local Latin American population who miss a taste of  "home" including Inca Cola, Mate, Dulce de Leche, Alfajores, Mexican and Tex Mex food. The shop also carries a small stock of British produce. New to the scene but certainly not new to selling produce to British expatriates, is Jim's British Market which opened last month on the Avenue de Mont Blanc in Gland just a few miles along from Nyon. Already a well established name over the border in St Genis-Pouilly, "Jims" has been operating for 15 years in France and in addition to the shop, he has also been serving  fish and chips and scones in its tea toom. Check out their website on the story of "Jims" and for full details and opening hours of both shops.  Links My Expat Shop Jims British Market American Market The American Market

Book Signing at Nyon Tourist Office  There will be a " Living along Lac Léman"  book signing on Friday 4th November from 16:00 -18:00 at Nyon's tourist office. No need to register, just come and pick up a copy, say "hello" and get it signed by the author. This will also be a good opportunity to speak to the tourist staff and to find out about all about the winter tourist activities going on in the area.   Can't make this date to pick up a book? There will be another opportunity to purchase a copy and have the book signed at the Léman Events Expat Fair on the 6th November in Lausanne from 11:00-17:00.  Living in Nyon will have a stand at the fair. Look for number  number 105.   Over 120 businesses and service with experience in serving the English speaking community will be at this fair. Plus this year there, will be an  International Recruitment Fair i n the same building on the same day. Bring your CV, find out about available jobs, meet potential employers, learn about the local business environment. Article on this fair coming up soon.

Big Bang Event! This Thursday 13th January and Friday 14th at the Usine a Gaz  there will be a performance by Nyon artist Bernard Garo and the Collectif  la Derniere Tangente  called "Première détection certaine. " .This is a show based on the artist's interpretation of the Big Bang.  The show will be a mixture of theatre, dance,  video and music and has been many months in preparation. There is a website with more information on the production and you can read (in French) the background behind it all  here . You can buy or reserve tickets on line from the Usine a Gaz link here   or from Migros Nyon in La Combe shopping centre. The performance is at 19:30, doors are open at 18:30. Tickets can  also be bought at the box office on the night (according to availability).

Here is Jonas's final review of Paléo 2015 where he reports back from the final press conference. Photo above -  Writer Jonas Parson. 270,000 at the festival  The traditional end of festival press conference brought together the organisers of the festival to acknowledge the success of this anniversary edition. With an additional seventh day, over 270'000 people celebrated Paléo's 40th festival.  The bands all lived up to their expectations, with the sad exception of Iziah, who had to cancel her show due to losing her voice half an hour before her show. According to Jacques Monnier, Paléo's head music programmer, she was really looking forward to performing at Paléo and left the grounds in tears. "Oldies" not out of the picture Monnier praised the extraordinary line-up of Saturday night, calling it an evening that would go down in the records as a legendary night. He noted that the legends who had performed on that evening were still up to giving the most amazing concerts after all those years, and they still had a lot to teach to the stars of today. From Joan Baez's calm class to Patty Smith's incredible energy, the "oldies" are definitely not out of the picture yet he said. This for him, validated the programming which had initially been criticised for the number of "old" artists on the line up (let's not forget that criticising the programme is something of a national sport!) He also gave a special mention to Robert Plant's performance, saying that he now nearly preferred him to Led Zeppelin, as he had managed to create amazing arrangements to his songs with a nice African touch to them. From Robbie Williams' huge show on Monday - "he proved what a real entertainer he was, mischievous and slightly cheeky" - to the slightly lesser known bands such as The Script and their melodic rock or Gary Clark Jr and his stylish blues, to artists who most people thought past their prime (such as Veronique Sanson and Johnny Hallyday), but showed they still had it in them. Another few star moments of the festival were Sting's concert on the main stage- "an artist with a capital A" according to Monnier and Explosion de Caca's special guest, Henri Dès. Watching over 3000 adults singing Henri Dès' "la petite Charlotte" was a pretty exceptional event, easily explained by the fact that most of the people in the crowd grew up listening to him over the past 30 years. Discovering new and up-and-coming bands has always been part of Paléo's charm, and this year was no different, as Monnier noted. From the slightly more outlandish and harder to access music from the Far East under the Dôme, with bands such as the barmy Japanese ensemble Pascals (a personal favourite) or the post-punk mixture of traditional instruments and guitar riffs (verging on heavy metal) of Korean band Jambinai. They showed us the existence of an underground scene in those countries. The festival also is a good outlet for local talent, as unknown gems can often be discovered by talent spotters who were here to scout out new bands for their own festivals and music venues. As Daniel Rossellat joked, the only negative note of this edition was that having to go from official celebration to anniversary apéro, he had less time to go and listen to all of these lesser known bands. Transport On a more organisational note, the new security measures put in place for the trains had been a success, although the waiting time was at times slightly too long, either due to several trains arriving at the same time at the station, or the majority of the crowd leaving at the same time after a concert. As Rossellat noted, it's impossible to change that without more train coaches, something that will be happening later this year. However waiting for a while in a queue at the station is still the faster way to get to and leave the festival compared to being stuck in traffic jams for ages! Regarding the total ban on fireworks due to the heatwave, it was somehow paradoxical to enforce a heatwave plan while being drenched by the rain! Paléo's extraordinary fire prevention unit, which boasts over 50 firemen ready to intervene, means that the Festival is exempt from the ban, allowing the traditional end of week fireworks to take place. All in all, a great and memorable edition, full of great vibes as Rossellat noted, which will give them all the enthusiasm and energy to prepare a 41st edition neither lacking in content or punch. Next year's Village du Monde will be celebrating Celtic culture, so we can trust without a doubt that it will be a very festive year!

If you are considering putting your child into the Swiss, (in particular Vaud) primary school system, or if they are registered to start a local school this year, then it can be a bit daunting knowing what to expect. What does the school require parents to provide for their child on the first day of term, what is expected of the child when they are in the classroom? Naturally there are lots of questions that need answering, the first day of term is worrying enough for any parent and child, never mind in a different school system and different language. Help is at Hand! Thankfully, help is at hand and I am absolutely delighted that Odette Duerden has written an article for "Living in Nyon" on her experience and given some extremely useful practical advice for other parents. She is a parent and has children in a Nyon primary school. You will read that although there were some teething problems at the start, it worked out in the end! You can also read my thoughts on the debate between state schools versus private schools on this site under the section "education "under " Frequently asked Questions". The local schools break up this Friday (the children dress up in costume that day and parade through the streets of Nyon). However, term time will be around again, so read on for Odette's sound advice and experience. With useful French phrases and photos to illustrate her points, it's all invaluable stuff! "I won’t forget the first weeks of term at the children’s Swiss public/state schools. We had opted to throw them in at the deep end – without armbands – but how naïve we had been about their ability to swim in foreign waters. Our children had all been very happy at a school in Guernsey (in the Channel Islands in the UK) and they had always been very cheerful about going off to school. They were not terribly driven by a thirst for knowledge – school was more a place to socialise and be with their mates. We had discussed the Swiss Education system with lots of people and parents, so I felt fairly well prepared mentally, but of course other peoples’ words can never replace personal experience. The teachers were firm from the start and expected the children to conform in every way. I now think the teachers’ approach was the right one, had they made too many allowances the children’s assimilation would only have taken longer, but at the time it felt irksome. As with any education system there is good and not so good – you just need to learn to navigate through it. My daughter really struggled at the beginning. Girls rely on language so much that being unable to speak to other children was very difficult for her. Her brothers had less trouble as they spoke the international language of Football. However the real reason for this article is to give a few practical tips for families who are just joining the system (particularly Vaud) in August/September. Here we go. Firstly here's the school terminology that you need to know. 1. ‘Fourrer livres et cahiers’ . This means wrap the text books and exercise books in wrapping paper. See photo below. (Tip – stock up on cool wrapping paper depending on the age and sex and tastes of your child. They can earn quite a bit of street cred by having Hannah Montana/Transformers wrapped books.) 2 ‘Des coins en carton’ . You are being asked to put cardboard corners on the text books which have a school stamp in them, before you wrap them in wrapping paper. You can buy the corners in stationery shops i.e. Papeterie de la Cote - Nyon or you can make them. 3. All the books must be clearly labelled on the front with the child’s name and the subject matter of the particular book. 4. Primary school children wear slippers in class. They need to take a pair that they leave below their coat peg and change into whenever they go back into class. 5. During ‘premiere primaire’ the children write with ink pens, but if your child is not used to an ink pen there are good rollerball alternatives which use normal erasable ink cartridges and so can be neatly corrected. 6. Children need to take all their own stationery supplies, you will be given a list of what is needed, but here is one just to give you an idea of what might be required. The shops are mobbed around the start of term and so you might want to plan ahead. Here's the list ink pen cartridges ink eradicator/corrector pen rubber ruler set of colouring pencils set of felt tips stick of glue scissors sharpener pencils painting overall (dad’s old t-shirt) Swimming kit (bag, bather, towel, goggles and swim cap – although no-one seems to wear the latter girls with long hair are encouraged to) Gym kit (bag, t-shirt, shorts and indoor gym shoes – see photo - find in shoe shops and supermarkets) The children carry their books to and from school and so a good quality satchel is a must. (An ordinary backpack just won’t cut it.) Good handwriting is terribly important in Switzerland, as is presentation. Here are two charts demonstrating how letters should be formed. While very similar to English school script there are differences. My children found it difficult to copy down what the teacher had written on the board as they didn’t recognise the letters and of course they didn’t know what the words meant and so they couldn’t make sense of the ‘shapes’. Lettering that differs from those of the chart – for instance a ‘v’ with a pointy bottom rather than a rounded one – is not acceptable. Saying hello and goodbye properly is important. Children should shake hands with their teacher when they arrive – look him/her in the eye and say hello. They should do the same when they leave - shake hands, look him/her in the eye and say goodbye. Depending on the teacher this applies both morning and afternoon. As parents it is very important to look at the Agenda (homework diary) everyday, to read all the information and notes and to sign it at the end of the week (your child will end up being reprimanded if you don’t). The Agenda system works well and teachers and parents communicate through it. If you need to speak to a teacher you should catch him/her quickly at the end of class for a quick chat or write a note in the Agenda to request a meeting. I hope this will help to make the first few weeks less strange and wish you all the luck in the world. It is difficult and there were lots of tears in our household. You will need an endless supply of patience and encouragement. Don’t expect too much too soon. Of course it will vary from family to family, but it wasn’t until after the Easter holidays that my children all felt happy at school and comfortable speaking French. Here is a list of the basic phrases your child will need in the first few months of term. Good Luck!" Bonjour - Hello Au revoir - Good bye Merci - Thank you Non merci - No thank you Est-ce que je peux aller aux toilettes? - Please may I go to the toilet? Je ne comprends pas. - I don’t understand. J’ai besoin d’aide - I need some help. Je n’ai pas compris - Pouvez-vous répéter ? I didn’t understand. Could you repeat that please? On a besoin de quel livre/cahier maintenant? - Which text book/exercise book do we need? Où est-ce que je mets ça? - Where do I put this? Où est-ce que je dois aller maintenant? - Where do I go now? Qu’est-ce que je dois faire maintenant ? - What do I do now? Est-ce que je peux jouer? - Can I play? Est-ce que je peux venir avec toi? - Can I come with you? Tu veux un bonbon/biscuit? - Would you like a sweet/biscuit? Thankyou very much Odette. If you are parent and have your own comments or advice to give on this, or any other schooling issue (even if your child is in primary or secondary school in neighbouring France or Geneva), you can do so in the comment box below. You will be asked to identify various letters before publishing your comment (to prevent spamming) and then it will be sent to me to be moderated (to prevent unsuitable content), but it only takes a few seconds to complete this and it would be good to get feedback to help other parents.

A few events coming up in the Nyon area (and further afield) over the next few weeks. Also, don't forget to check out the English column in la La Côte newsaper each Friday. Today's column is a wry look at the street names of this area. Pick up your copy in any newsagent. Green Film Festival - Starts tonight in Nyon - two days of film on the theme of environment, development and North/South relations. This festival is in its fifth year and takes place across fourteen towns across Swiss Romande. This weekend it's Nyons turn. The first film "Il etait un fois .. notre terre", is for young cinema goers. It begins at 16:30 and will be shown in the Salle Communale in Nyon followed by a discussion.  See  the film festival website for details (click on Nyon on the left hand side) Jazz Evening - Friday 12th March 20:30 down at the 1306 club (the oldest house in Nyon, it was built in 1306). "Soft Winds" with Mario Schneeberger on sax. The best of  Charlie Parker, Benny Golson, Fletcher Henderson and more. Patchwork Exhibition Saturday 6th March 17:00 - Opening of the 8th Exhibition of the Patchwork Club of La Côte at the Library in Crans (in the Salle Communale) See previous post about this library.  For further information, email beatrice.bernard@sunrise.ch or call 022 368 1418 Photography exhibition New photography exhibition at Focale in Nyon - Bertrand Rey  from 7th March -11th April  See Focale (More on this site about exhibition after the opening). Spring Brocante Sale in Gex (over the border in France) Friday 19 March - 09:00 to 20:00 Saturday 20 March 09:00 to 17:00 L’Ancienne Ferme, 485 rue de l’Etraz, Gex. Small items of furniture, mirrors, pictures, china, trunks, rugs and antique gifts. English, French, Swiss and Scandinavian influences. Bring a friend and come for chat, coffee and cake.  For directions contact Sian Sibley on +33 4 50 41 92 30  email s.sibley@orange.fr Lecture - Webster University - Bellevue Wednesday, March 17th 2010  18:30 – 20:00 The Psychology and Counselling Department of Webster University Geneva presents  The 2010 Lecture Series -  Moving to Switzerland: how families and children manage transitions Rachel Melville-Thomas - Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist  WRS Kids in Mind  See Webster university

There have been many new companies and organisations which have recently moved into the area and quite a few of them have moved into the new A1 business park in Rolle, just a few miles from Nyon. With a view of the vineyards from the offices facing north, and a view of the lake for those in the south facing buildings this looks like a good place to go to work and do business. Chiquita , Honeywell , Nissan , Adm , Nunomyx , Yahoo, PPG industries , UBS and Deppele r, SC Johnson and Carefusion are all housed in this modern business area. There's a bus stop right outside the centre and a mobility car area too (the car sharing service, see previous post titled "Needs Wheels in Nyon?" about this very useful service) and the centre  itself is right in the centre of the wine growing areas of La Côte and has its own restaurant managed by DSR the Swiss catering company.

Settings for rock concerts don't get much better than this. A clear sky with a view of Mont Blanc, a setting sun turning the the Salève mountains red. Boats moored alongside a glistening lake, lights in the trees around the Caribana stage framing it all to perfection. Nyon put on a picture postcard great show last night and so did Travis . From the moment the band came on stage to a short intro from "My Favourite Things" from "The Sound Of Music" , the audience had already been warmed up by the rays of the day's sun and were ready not only for their favourite musical things, but they were ready for a good night. They got it. Travis know how to please an crowd by giving them the hits; "Driftwood", "Flowers in the window", "Sing", "Why does it always rain on me," and also because front man Fran Healy engages and pleases the audience with his good-natured banter. Last night they took him up on his suggestions to sway in unison like a metronome or to pogo together. Some of them (though not all) shook hands with the person next to them in Healy's bid to "let's get to know each other". It could have been clichéd, it could have been cringeworthy, but it wasn't, it was one big communal Caribana collaboration and it worked. Surrounded by so much goodwill, the crowd couldn't fail to be pleased, only diehard cynics could have been critical. The band kept the energy throughout the evening, even playing over the allotted time scale and the audience were ecstatic. Travis were the headline act along with the Editors and Chris Cornell, but there were other bands playing over at the lake stage as there are every night. Local, Swiss and emerging bands play that have won a Caribana contest to peform at the venue. Full Blast from Geneva attracted a decent sized crowd which was encouraging to see, not only for them but for other up and coming bands. The contest provides an opportunity for new artists to shine and gives the audience a chance to be there at the start of a potential "big name's" career. Tonight bands playing at the Scène du Lac are the increasingly popular hip hop groove band Tweek, the Swiss reggaeists Junior Tshaka and Didier Awadi and Nneka with soul and groove. UB 40, Madcon, Dub Inc and Stress are headlining. The weather forecast is looking good for tonight. A great way to start the weekend. Tuning up for Travis on the Main Stage. The Lake Stage Full Blast - Music, Matching Ties and Laces

Photo above from Tahrir: courtesy Visions du Réel Film review from the Visions du Réel festival of  "Tahrir – Place de la Liberation" directed by Stefano Savona. Note: Although this film is not scheduled to be screened again in the official programme,  a selection of prize winning films from the festival will be shown on Saturday 28 at the Salle Communale from 14:00-20:00.  The awards ceremony will take place Friday 27th April and the results will be announced here on this site.  This film was shown on Sunday 22nd April at the Usine a Gaz and is reviewed by Trish Thalman. She says it is a "visually exciting and important film".  31 January 2011, the sixth day of the Egyptian Revolution, and the the centrepoint is Tahrir Square in Cairo. Thousands of men, women and children are there with a united goal: they want the Mubarak regime to fall. The Revolution against Murbarak began because of the social injustices that the people of Egypt had suffered over the past 30 years. The recent fall of the Ben Ali regime in Tunisia had given Egyptians courage to stand up and protest. "You feel the jostling, taste the dust" In this film we are ‘on the ground’ though the hand-held camera that takes us right into the centre of Tahrir Square: the action, yelling, chanting, violence, blood and rock fights. You feel the jostling, taste the dust, smell bodies and blood. This visually exciting and important film follows the erratic and dangerous actions of the people that begins as a peaceful protest and culminates in the resignation of Hosni Mubarak eighteen days later. Three young activists are the main characters who weave through the film and tell a story of protest, liberation and concern. They have ideals, belief, education, energy. They are on their phones contacting everyone they know to spread the word, encouraging them to come to the square and be part of the revolution. See a trailer of the film here The crowds get larger and more tenacious. Mubarak gives a speech to the people imploring them to leave Tahrir and to “help me make the Guinness Book of Records”, as the longest serving elected President of Egypt……30 years in October 2011. The people listen, are appalled and stunned by what they hear: a man out of touch. The chanting, the singing, the protesting continues. More and more people come to the square, defiant and courageous. "We are Egyptians". The Muslim Brotherhood makes a patronising appearance at a rally of thousands to promote their agenda. The three young activists are concerned that the party will not allow a secular state, in spite of their promises to do so if they come to power once Mubarak is gone. Kentucky Fried Chicken is handed out for free Contentious, daily life in Tahrir continues with prayers, people sleeping, talking in groups. Kentucky Fried Chicken is handed out for free. Nobody is hungry. There is awareness that the revolution is leaderless…..not organised. Who will succeed, what will happen when, not if, Murbarak goes? The peaceful protest turns violent when the Murbarak regime release over 1000 prisoners from jails. They are given 5000 pounds, guns and knives and told to support Murbarak and destroy the protestors. There are deaths and massive injuries. The frenzy of bodies being removed is seen in blurred vision, because the revolution has now become a blur. The protestors break up the tiles and road pavements to be used in the fights - us against them. A particularly strong scene shows a young woman gathering up the ‘stones’, as many as she can carry in a jacket, and walking with determination and purpose to get to the ‘front lines’. She reaches a point and dumps the rocks for all to see. There are many takers to pick up the stones.   We see the ‘makeshift’ headgear that the protestors have contrived to protect themselves from the stones that are being thrown by protestors and the ‘thugs’: cardboard, plastic rubbish bins, or whatever has been found for protection. Many protestors now have bandaged heads, bloodied faces, bruises, are hobbling with canes. The doctors and nurses treating the wounded in the square are bloodied and bandaged themselves. The young people ask to the camera, “who created this chaos, us or them”? There are moments of doubt. Murbarak resigns. The cheers go up and party goes on for hours. Exhaustion rules.  A final chilling scene shows a woman and others looking at the camera and giving a warning: “beware we aren’t being fooled”. What do they know? Photo above: courtesy Visions du Réel

If you want to take part in the 1st August (Swiss National Day) festivities in Nyon, the celebrations start at 19:45 with an apéro offered by  the town council at the  ’Esplanade des Marronniers" (by the Roman Columns) This will be followed by an official ceremony at 20:30 followed by a parade at 21:15  which will wind its way through the old town (this is where the children carry lit paper lanterns in the parade as in the photo). At 22:15 there will be a firework display by the lake. This year the château of Nyon will be lit up red to celebrate the national day! For full details see link here

Wine and Welsh Cakes Evening! The next Living in Nyon Event will be a "Wine and Welsh Cakes" evening on Monday 1 st December in Nyon from 19:00 - 21:30 The event will be held in the atmospheric caveau (cellar) of Nyon’s lovely old chateau. All nationalities welcome, whether you have lived here for years, or are new to the area, this event is an ideal opportunity to mingle and meet other Anglophones. Taste some savoury Welsh cakes cooked on the spot by local Welsh resident Sian Dureau.   Reservations required please by emailing Sian sdureau@sunrise.ch Entrance fee – CHF 15 per person or 25 CHF per couple includes 2 Welsh cakes and a glass of wine. More wine (and cakes!) will be available to purchase on the night Parking in Place Perdtemps c ar park nearby, Nyon railway station just a short walk away.

Catherine from Living in Nyon and Lisa from the website Know-it-all passport , have teamed up and created a podcast called "Living in the Know". For their first short ten minute podcast they have chosen to feature a selection of local events scheduled for November 2015 From where to go for Thanksgiving, to a talk on the local school system, and an upcoming talk in Nyon by Diccon Bewes on his latest book "Around Switzerland in 80 Maps”. As an added bonus, every month Lisa will teach Catherine a fun French expression on the podcast, the kind of expression you probably won’t be taught in French class! To hear the podcast, click here This is their very first podcast and although they realise the sound quality and the content order could be improved, it’s a start and we hope you enjoy it. They welcome constructive feedback from readers. Would you like to hear more events, more French expressions or is there something else you would like us to feature?  Do let us know either at info@livinginyon.com or on the contact page  at Know-it-all passport. Know-it-all passport Lisa Cirieco-Ohlman is the founder of Know-it-all passport and moved to Geneva in 1972 with her family. She attended the Lycée des Nations in Bellevue (now gone) for three years, then the next six years at Ecolint LGB where she graduated. Trained as a graphic designer in the US, Lisa worked full-time in three different countries. The first edition of the guidebook Know-it-all passport was released in 1999. The brand includes an important website, www.knowitall.ch , hosting articles, calendars, classifieds, and more. Music intro on podcast Jump it Up Jazzy by Swiss band "Mad Manoush" from their album "Train to New Orleans"