By Lakshmi:

I made a birthday resolution several years ago…to always take the day off from work and fill “my” 24 hours  with the things that give me tremendous joy!  So, given our proximity to London this year, I decided that I wanted to make a pilgrimage to Tate Modern.  On a beautiful, crisp summer day, we disembarked off the tube at St. Paul’s to make our way across the Millenium Bridge to our destination.

It was simply an idyllic way to spend the morning and here are five reasons why the visit to Tate Modern will always hold a special place in my heart.

1. The bright blue color painted on the tree trunks en route from St. Paul’s to the Millenieum Bridge.

Ok, I did not expect artistic creations to greet me on my walk.  We had just visited St. Paul’s two months ago and did not notice the bright, playful blue of the tree trunks along the way.  That playful, fun, unexpected visual just put me in a happier mood.  I later realized that the blue trunks are the work of Konstantin Dimopoulos, an Australian artist who is using this medium to highlight deforestation in the World.

2.  The beautiful views of St. Paul’s that you turn back to upon your walk across the Millenium Bridge.  St. Paul’s is beautiful and this walk provided an additional vantage point.

3. The beautiful views of London that greet you on either side of the bridge.  The views are pretty spectacular and spread out into the distance.

4. The spectacular building that houses Tate Modern and its amazing art collection.  You could get lost here for days and in a span of several hours we were exposed to a variety of art forms, some famous and some completely anew.

5. The views from Tate Modern across the Thames.  If you ever end up at Tate, do make it to the gallery to get some of the most spectacular views that London has to offer.