a great day in London

What better way to spend a sunny autumn Sunday in London than heading off to the Tate Modern. We caught the tube to Mansion House, had a quick peek at St Paul's and the Crisis in Capitalism tent camp - there is a strong feeling of shared empathy - before walking across the now stable Millenium Bridge in full view of the old Bankside Power Station, now home to the Tate Modern. We explored two thematic combinations of their own collections on Level 5: Energy and Process, and States of Flux - both quite radical and representing stark contrasts between style, familiarity and engagement. It would have been good to have travelled up the river but the classic English customer service thwarted us - the first salesperson claimed she knew nothing about the boat tying up at the floating wharf "it is not my company" and the second decided to change shift oblivious to the realities of the timetable - so we decided to save our money and walk up along the Thames Path to South Bank, and cross the river along the Golden Jubilee Bridge towards Embankment. Then we caught the tube a few stops to Sloan Square, in time to discover the Chelsea Physic Garden before it closed. This secret garden by the river collects and protects plants from far and wide. Franki, our guide shared some of the history and the geographical diversity of its inhabitants. It was such a quiet and peaceful oasis to enjoy discovering what so many pharmaceutical plants look like...
And then we concluded the day with a brilliant thali in a very popular restaurant - Masala Zone in Earls Court Road. Although part of a chain of 8 London restaurants, it was impressive in decor, food and service. The tribal paintings reminded me of Aboriginal art, the food was an interesting twist on usual curry houses and we were treated so well, especially for London. I have not eaten Thalis very often outside of India, but it was great to sample a curry, dhal, vegetables all together with papadams and relishes...
so then it was just a cosy glass of red on the chesterfield in the Kings Head, hidden back on Hogarth Place, in a quaint neighbourhood of Earls Court... A superb day out with good friends, altho so sad to say good bye, only for now.