50 shades of gray color the desert that lies in the middle of Iceland, formed by volcanic ash that is still accumulating.

Even in the summer, climbing to the summit of the great Vitj volcano means exposing yourself to the freezing cold, with the loosely packed sand in which you sink up to your knees making it a trial to reach the top. Then, breathing hard, you descend rapidly down what appears to be a trail, but isn’t, until you reach the crater lake.

It welcomes me like a fragment of sky, a pure light blue lake. It’s the reason I’ve come.

I take off my clothes and leap into the azure water, and I never want to come out. It’s an experience for the chosen few, those who seek the point where opposite elements meet.

When I get home, I feel compelled to reproduce the experience, and so here is the Great Vitj Lake, a canvas I can immerse myself in, and feel at peace.

And dance