Eighteen years have passed since the Expo’92 and many remains of that unforgettable dream are still up and running for different uses at the Cartuja Island. Probably, the best example of a good reutilisation of the infrastructure is Isla Mágica, our very own theme park… within a stone’s throw of the city centre, as close to the heart of the city that you can just walk and get there in 10 minutes from the Alameda de Hercules or the Macarena neighbourhood.

The park is now enjoying its 13th season in good shape. Its magical scenery takes us back to the moment when the Old Europe and the New World met. In fact, Seville’s golden age started with the arrival of Christopher Columbus in America. In the 16th and 17th centuries, our city was the main port for the expeditions to the Indies and to the fearless sailors that would navigate around the globe in order to get to where no white men had been before.

In this adventurous atmosphere, Isla Mágica offers us a travel around seven different worlds: Sevilla Puerto de Indias is the entrance to the park and the place where you can discover El Desafío, an amazing drop tower that offers the best views of the city from the top of its 68 metres. Quetzal is the location of Ciklón, an Aztec dish that provides 360 degree spinning and 14-metre-elevations… all at the same time!

The third stage of the journey to the New World is Puerta de América, where the best examples of collonial and creole architecture are located. Apart from the majestic El Fuerte, this stop will allow us to enjoy the Anaconda, a popular rollercoaster where you ride on tree trunks through canals and water falls. You can also surprise yourself with the impressive night show at the lake. If you were here for the 1992 Expo, good memories will come back to your mind when you see the water curtain and the fireworks that put a golden end to any day at the park. If you want to get the best seats, come by the lake about one hour before the show starts.

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Situated in the island that gets its name from this monastery, La Cartuja (you can see its main façade in the picture by González-Alba above) is a special place for those seeking for transcendental experiences. It was so when this abbey was founded in the 15th century, and also when Christopher Columbus stayed here during the preparation of his second journey to the New World.

Many years later, in 1830, the Marquis of Pickman decided to establish a china factory, providing the characteristic group of kilns that were used to manufacture the world famous Cartuja porcelain.

La Cartuja, by Antonio Rull / Obtura

Remodelled again for the 1992 World Exhibition -during which it was used as the Royal Pavilion- it is nowadays the home for the Andalusian Centre of Contemporary Art and for the Universidad Internacional de Andalucía.

Some concerts are also regularly held there, like these days’ Territorios programme. Emir Kusturica, Wilco and the rest of the Territorios Sevilla participating artists will fill this space, and their magnificent patios, with their music. With no doubt, and once again, La Cartuja will provide us with transcendental experiences.

One may think that after spending 18+ hours with temperatures over 30ºC/86ºF everyday during the summer months the last thing to do is spending the night out. Well… when you are in a city like Seville, it may just be the other way around: with so many things to do when the night falls, it is almost mandatory to go out and enjoy the city far from the intense solar radiations.

The most popular thing to do is sitting by the river banks to get the soft, cool breeze coming from the Atlantic ocean up the Guadalquivir valley. There are a few delicious spots, like the surroundings of the Triana Bridge, where you can even take a towel and sit with your friends to spend a different night out.

If you feel like dancing, there are a handful of summer ‘terrazas’, open-air discos that play music and serve drinks exactly like the winter, traditional ones. Apart from the typical ones in the Paseo de las Delicias and Paseo Marqués de Contadero, there are some at La Cartuja island. Going to the latter is a perfect excuse for crossing the river and stopping for a few minutes in any of the old bridges, to contemplate the city right from the river. The photo above is what you can see if you look north from the Triana Bridge, right in the moment when night defeats daylight and the cool fun begins.

Google Earth offers an easy, free way to visit the whole world without leaving your desk. It is, in fact, a great complement to the real visits, rather than a substitute. With this free app (that you can download from Google), we can get some points of view that would only be accesible by plane or helicopter. The most amazing feature is the 3D models that let us discover the city’s most important monuments in a complete new way.

Here is, for example, a great view of the Cathedral and Giralda model:

Cathedral and Giralda / Google Earth

You can also fly over the Quinto Centenario Bridge, the one that is still named ‘El Paquito’ on Google Maps for its similarities to San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge in a reduce scale ;):

The Quinto Centenario Bridge ("el Paquito") / Google Earth

Or take a look at the Isla de la Cartuja Technology Park, which lies where the 1992 World Expo was held and has reused many of its pavilions:

Isla de la Cartuja Technology Park / Google Earth

Although there are some weeks left for these two spectacular shows, we want to remind you practical data about how to enjoy the highlights of the great musical summer that lays ahead.

Both concerts will be held in the same venue: the Seville Olympic Stadium, located at the north area of La Cartuja island. The stadium is easily reachable with buses C1 and C2 (circular lines that are easily accessible from almost all districts of the city). Here you have a link to the stadium location on Google Maps.

Internet tickets are available for these concerts, both for Depeche Mode’s concert (on July 12) and for Bruce Springstreen and the E Street Band’s one (on July 28). Once you buy them online, you can get them at the Carrefour, Fnac and Urende stores in Spain and at La Teatral ticket office in Velázquez 12 (right in the heart of Seville).

By the way, thanks to Feras Hares and to Barack Obama (!) for sharing their pictures with us