From Goya and the bulls to relaxing in a colour-therapy hotel, we bring you some ideas for getting away from it all.

Goya and the bulls: Ronda celebrates its artistic past at la Corrida

Along with his grotesque paintings of war and witches, as well as sometimes less than flattering portraits of Spanish royals and dignitaries, artist Francisco de Goya was famed for his dramatic bullfight engravings.

The Andalucian mountain town of Ronda commemorates the 18th century artist at the annual 'Corrida Goyesca' which this year is to be held on 9 September in La Real Maestranza, the world's oldest bullring dating from 1785.

Matadors and their attendants dress in costumes of Goya's era, as do many of the spectators.

The event began in 1954 to mark the bicentenary of the birth of Ronda native and celebrated bullfighter Pedro Romero who was a close friend of Goya and a member of a famous dynasty of matadors.

The ring also boasts a museum dedicated to the history of bullfighting with works by Goya and British artists Lake Price, Victor Adam and Edward Orme.

The exhibitions highlight another Ronda bullfighting dynasty, the Ordonez, of which one member, Antonio, was a great pal of Ernest Hemingway and Orson Welles.

Ronda is an easy drive from the Costa del Sol.

See: www.ronda.net

The International Dance Festival of the Canary Islands, or MASDANZA, one of Spain’s most prestigious dance events, marks its tenth anniversary this year from 30 September-7 October in Gran Canaria.

From its beginnings as a small, regional festival MASDANZA now attracts renowned dancers, companies, choreographers and dance aficionados from around the world as well as a growing general public.

Organizers emphasise reaching out to young people and for the second year running there will be a Break Dance Championship to showcase the latest urban dances.

See: www.masdanza.com.

Each year, the International Mime Festival of Sueca in Valencia province hosts theatre artists from around the world putting on works in which microphones and sound systems are unnecessary.

These mime, gesture, movement and physical performances will be staged from 14-18 September (dates to be confirmed), accompanied by workshops and lectures by leading practitioners of what's known as 'gesture theatre'.

Past participants have included performers and troupes from the US, Australia, Italy, Spain and the Czech Republic. www.mimsueca.com.

While luxury hotels around the world are rapidly installing fully-equipped spas for their stressed clientele, a budget hotel in the Spanish capital is taking a simpler route to help guests relax.

The 7 Color Rooms Hotel located in the trendy Plaza Santa Ana neighbourhood uses chromotherapy, or the energy of colours, to put the mind, body and soul in balance.

The yellow room, for example, helps guests restore their self-confidence, reduce negativity and, so the owners claim, it aids the digestion.

Low season rates for a double start at EUR 75 and includes all-day breakfast, Internet access, and newspapers and magazines. www.7colorsrooms.com.

The men folk of Majaelrayo in the province of Guadalajara don tall flowered bonnets, white skirts, petticoats, ribboned epaulets and sashes, fringed aprons and espadrilles to honour the Santo Niño, or Baby Jesus on the first Sunday of each September which this year falls on 2 September.

As part of the village's annual fiesta, the brightly-dressed men and their accompanying musicians attend mass and other fiesta events, dancing all the while.

 Majaelrayo is located in Guadalajara's Sierra Norte in the region of the famed 'black villages' where most of the houses are built of slate.

Majaelrayo is about a two-hour drive from Madrid.

Almost every town and village in the province celebrate their annual fiestas in September, many of which feature processions with images of the patron saint or Virgin as well as bull runs and the usual feasting, drinking and dancing until dawn. Visitors welcome.

For a complete list of fiesta dates go to:

http://www.henaresaldia.com

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[August 2006]

Subject: Spain; travel ideas for September