Fire and Ice

Iceland is a land of waterfalls. The locals joke that every house has its own private one. This one took us a long time to reach. It was cold and dark. And still we had to climb out of the warm car into that darkness and wait. Stand there, freeze, wait, and wait some more. Our jackets were warm, sure, but the dawn couldn't care less about that. You wait in the pre-dawn blackness and you don't know whether it will happen or not. Whether a little piece of the miracle, a small corner of beauty, will show through. Or whether, as usual, we'll fold up the tripod and drive off with nothing. But then the sky lightens. The clouds fill with pink. The first light touches the ice - and the frozen waterfall suddenly comes alive. Snow, ice, running water and stones fall together into one astonishing picture, as if someone had arranged them here on purpose - just for us, just for this morning. And that's when it hits you: yes, the freezing was worth it after all. Nature mixed it all into a single glass. Mister Bond? Yes - shaken, not stirred…