Thrilling buzz in the air that soon turns to horror

MIRROR JOURNALIST

THE smell in the early evening air is intoxicating, a combination of orange blossom and expensive perfume.

There’s a buzz around Seville’s Plaza de Toros which is genuinely thrilling as crowds of immaculately dressed locals, chattering children and curious tourists mill towards the ancient arena. Yet this is no sporting or cultural event they’ve come to see, more a series of ritual sacrifices.

In this city the bullfight is a sacred experience. Old men drink red wine in bars outside as they argue the merits of matadors like football fans comparing Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

A couple of years ago I paid my £15 to watch the spectacle. Soon the horror unfolds as bull after bull is slaughtered. The helpless animals are stabbed with bandilleras. Weakened and confused, the bull staggers like a drunk before the final act when he is despatched by sword.

The better the matador at severing the spinal cord, the quicker the death.

I left after 30 minutes, baffled and angry, as mules dragged away another carcass to the abattoir.