IT’S 28˚C on theCOSTA BRAVA:save £100 on tendays in Lloret deMar. Half-board

at Hotel Selvamar is from£329 with overnight coachtravel in August/September.Regional departures avail-able. See shearings.com,call 0844 209 7143.

EGYPT’S RedSea coast IS35˚C: Save £200on seven nightsin El Gouna. B&B

at the 4H Mosaique Hotel isfrom £509, with Birminghamflights on August 5. Gatwickdeparture on August 9 from£569. Call 020 3384 0023 orsee holiday-designers.com.

IT’S 25˚C in theCANARIES: Save£231 on sevennights at the 5HPlatinum Hotel

R i u Palace Tres Islas.Thomson’s all-inclusive tripis f rom £679 wi thManchester flights onAugust 7. Call 0871 2302555 or go to thom-son.co.uk.

HOTSPOT

HOTSPOT

HOTSPOT

LIVELIKEAKINGOFTHENORTH

Ryanair fly to nearby Malagafrom both Glasgow Prestwickand Edinburgh airports.For accommodation check out

sevilla5.com, which is a local guide tothe city. Alternatively veoapartment.comoffer a great selection of apartments forall budgets.

I’M in a bar next tothe bullring in Seville,and I order braisedbull’s tail just to getinto the swing ofthings.There’s no point ingetting all politicallycorrect in the very citywhere bullfighting is asrevered as the newPope.The barman leans overand tells me a story . . .This tourist, he says, is inthe bar after a bullfight,and the victorious matadorstruts in and orders bull’stesticles. Customers wavehankies and cheer at hisarrogance and panache.The matador is presentedwith a plate of big braisedtesticles. Another cheergoes up as he tucks in.The tourist is so impressed,the next day he goes into thesame bar and orders bull’s testi-cles. He’s shocked when serveda plate with two very smalllumps of flesh.But, he protests, yesterday thebull’s testicles were really big.These are so small.Ah, says the barman, buttoday . . . the bull won! Bullfight-

ing is reviled in many placesacross the world, but you won’tfind anyone protesting about itin Seville, one of the mostimportant bullrings in Spain.So when in Sevilla . . . there’sonly one thing for it.Go to the bullfight. In the blis-tering heat, the atmosphere out-

side the bullring itself is

as exciting as a packed outOld Firm day in Glasgow.Except nobody’s looking for afight.It’s the Feria week in Seville,so the Spaniards are all dressedto kill, the men in their Panamahats and the women out in alltheir finery.And me, sweating like a pitpony, tottering up to my seat,people staring at me because

I’m the only one with no hat onand the sun is already nudging93 degrees. I tell them I’m fromGlasgow and that the sundoesn’t shine long enough for usto look out our hats. We’reready to rumble.Now, I wouldn’t want to glo-rify bullfighting, but when thestirring pasodoble is trumpeted

and the cheers go up, I’mswept up in the wholedrama.Suddenly, at the far endof this huge amphitheatre,the doors are flung openand the bull rages outinto the centre.He looks like an angrydrunk who’s staggeredinto the wrong brawl —and he thinks he can fighthis way out.I’m here on the last day

of the Feria, where thebullfighters are on horse-back.From where I’m sitting,the matador gets to wearall the sequins, but it’s the

horses who do all the hardwork, wearing the bull downwith their strutting, dancing andcajoling.This Death In The Afternoon,as Hemmingway put it, is defi-nitely not for the squeamish.It’s a cruel spectacle, and youfeel for the bull as the fight issucked out of him and he real-ises he’s never going to win.

The only way the poor beast isleaving the ring is when he’sdragged out around 20 minuteslater by a team of mules, amidthe cheers of respect from thecrowd for the courageous battlehe put up.It’s an engrossing display,something we can’t understand,but it is in the very DNA ofSpain. I won’t defend it.But where else in the worldcan you witness something likethis? You may ask, why wouldyou want to.

BeautifulSo I’m a little ashamed toadmit that I enjoyed the entiretheatre of it, and by the timethe matadors were taking a bow,if I’d a hanky to wave, then I’dhave been waving it.Okay, shoot me now.Outside, Seville is baking asthe Feria is in full swing.The streets are awash withbeautiful women in flamencodresses, but I’m not one of them.Not in this heat — even if Icould have got one to fit me.Gorgeous men on horsebackand even prouder horses clatterup and down the tented villageof the feria grounds at the topof the city.I was invited inside one of thecasetas in the mile long tentedvillage by Gary Collins, abuilder from Coventry who’s

been in Seville longenough to be literallyin with the bricks,and we sip Rebujitos— sherry and lemon-ade with mint — while the partypeople shake the floor to tradi-tional Sevillianas dance. I couldget used to this.I’d forgotten how beautifulthis city is — and how hot.The last time I was here was10 years ago in May, and 80,000Celtic fans still get teary-eyedwhen they talk about that balmynight when they lost the Europafinal to Porto.I remember it well. I’d beenhere for a month working, so it’sgreat to wander the little alley-ways in the old town, remember-ing some golden moments.This time, I’m staying in a per-fect little apartment just off thecathedral, away from the tourists— it’s good to get a glimpse oflocal life.Later, while I’m strollingaround the mighty Seville Cathe-

dral, I’m stopped by four teen-agers, and I eye them suspi-ciously.They’re doing a project forschool, they say, for the home-less. Aye right, I’m thinking,clutching my bag tighter.But no, they don’t want mymoney.Here’s the deal. They give mea paper clip and I give themsomething better, and they keeptrading up till they can buy ahouse for a homeless person.This could take some time, Itell them, while they video me —either for the school project, orto make an eejit of me onYouTube.All I’ve got in my bag is apacket of Brazil nuts, so wemake the deal, and off they goto trade the nuts for somethingbetter.Poor guys. I saw them threehours later — and they still hadthe nuts and were looking a bitdejected.But fair play to them. At leastthey’re not on the rob.Q FOR more information onAnna and her new bookScreams In The Dark visitannasmithscotland.com

FANS of fantasy seriesGame Of Thrones cannow follow in theactors’ footsteps – witha trip to Iceland.Maisie Williams (Arya

Stark, pictured) andGwendoline Christie(Brienne of Tarth) areamong the stars who havebeen seen filming the fourthseries of the show.But you won’t need a

medieval costume or swordto feel at home in Iceland.The luxurious Hotel ION –

an hour fromReykjavik – is setagainst an incrediblebackdrop of lava fieldsnear ThingvellirNational Park.The chic 46-room

pad has a lava spaand a bar withpanoramic views of theNorthern Lights.Double/twin rooms

start from £108 – seeioniceland.is.WOW air’s direct

route between LondonGatwick and Reykjavik

costs from £74 oneway. See wowair.co.ukor call 0118 321 8384.l IF Chris Froome’s

Tour de France triumph hasinspired you to get on yourbike, try heading toL’Ancienne Poste Avajan.This luxurious ski lodge in

the Pyrenees is a stone’sthrow from where stage nineof the Tour was raced.A week’s half-board costs

from £386 per person – asaving of £215.Visitancienneposteavajan.com.

THEANDAZ,LIVERPOOL

STREET, LONDONWHAT’S IT LIKE? This267-room 5H boutiquehotel is housed in abeautiful old building – butdrips with state-of-the-arttechnology.Check-in can be done

online prior to arrival,ensuring you’re whisked toyour room by a staffmember in a jiffy.The interior of the hotel,

which had its first brick laidin 1874, has beensympathetically restored,ensuring sweepingstaircases mix beautifullywith the modern feel.ROOMS ANY GOOD?They are stylish and theprice includes free wifi, softdrinks and snacks. Thebeds are big and comfy,which you’ll need after aday of shopping, a night ofpartying – or both – in

trendy Spitalfields andShoreditch.I can’t think of a better

spot or hotel in London for£150 on a Saturday night.EAT HERE OR GRAB APIZZA? The hotel boastsfive restaurants, the pick ofwhich is Eastway, a NewYork-style brasserie whichprides itself on its steak.We had breakfast in the

1901 Restaurant and WineBar. It was nice but at aneye-watering cost of £24

per head, theMcDonald’s and

Pret a Manger nextto the hotel looked a

more sensible option.WHAT ELSE? The Andazis a great option foranyone planning a trip inLondon who wants to seesome of the newer sightsrather than Westminsterand Buckingham Palace.The districts of

Spitalfields, Shoreditchand Hoxton are all withinwalking distance and arepacked with enoughshops, restaurants andbars to keep youentertained for a weekend.WHAT’S THE DAMAGE?Prices during the weekstart at £270 per nightwhen the hotel is busy withbusinessmen, while therate drops to £145 pernight at the weekend.To book, visit

london.liverpoolstreet.andaz.hyatt.com or call020 7961 1234.

CRIME novelist Anna Smith hasbeen taking us off the beatentrack in her exclusive travelseries from Spain.She’s already visited Malagaon the Costa del Sol and Valenciafor the Las Fallas festival of fire.She then explored the realMadrid and visited the ancientclifftop city of Cuenca before

scooting off to beach holidayfavourite Benidorm and nearbyAlicante.Now she’s taken the bull bythe horns and immersed herselfin the celebrations of the Feriafestival in stunning city Seville,the capital of Andalusia.Turns out it’s not for the faint-hearted . . .

STAYWITH THESTARS

OH MY GORED . . .drama in Seville’s

bullring. Right, thefight Anna saw, and

she pretends to weara flamenco dress, like

one worn by thelocals, below

CHECK IN...CHECK ITOUT

5656 Saturday, July 27, 2013 1S