Millenium Bridge: a modern fairytale

Crossing London's Millenium Bridge one evening last week, our destination was the Tate Modern on the far side - the utilitarian, industrial-looking landmark on the south bank ... 

a former power station that was reimagined into a fantastic space for modern art, and currently, a Lichtenstein retrospective.

Unexpectedly, popping up from the underground into the freezing dusk, the light happened to be quite magical, and I was suddenly happy that I had my camera on hand.

Looking east down the Thames, there was the familiar sight of Tower Bridge in the distance. But the Shard, the newest addition to the London skyline, took my breath away with its delicate glass beauty ...

Designed by Renzo Piano, who together with Brit architect Richard Rogers was responsible for Paris' Beaubourg (I posted about it here), the Shard is the EU's tallest building

Shakespeare's Globe theatre, with river boats gliding by, was lighting up for the evening's performance ...

I was so entranced by the views across the river that I almost forgot to look back the way we'd come ...

... at St Paul's ... and marvel again at how the designers of the Millenium Bridge had it constructed so that the sleek, modern bridge would have the cathedral perfectly positioned at its apex ...

Going under ... going, going ...

The Lichtenstein exhibition was fun, his images still fresh and entertaining.

The pic below, taken at the Tate, is not mine (though I confess to taking a quick, furtive phone-snap of younger daughter in front of one of his iconic images) ...

Image source

Walking back across the bridge much later, after a bite at the Tate's glass-walled top-floor restaurant with fantastic views across the city, blue lines lit the way towards a glowing St Paul's ...

Tower Bridge now a fairy-tale image in technicolour ...

and there was time for one last blurry shot of the ghostly dome snapped with frozen fingers before hurrying gratefully into the warmth of the underground.

(London has just had its coldest Easter in recorded history)