The air was biting cold, battering the sides of our car and whistling tiny bits of snow over the windshield. Despite the clouds the snowglobe sky was bright, as if fogged over by a childs wintery breath. We sat huddled in the car, savoring the last few moments before we braved the blustering morning wind. We made eye contact, then in silent agreement, made a break for it. We ran between the moss covered basalt formations, once molten lava, the black rocks now stood frozen in their cooled form. Unlike lava flow the cold only pushed us to run faster, and we quickly made it to the entrance building of the Blue Lagoon.

This was the final threshold to cross before we would get to see the geothermal pool in person. We checked in, changed, showered and locked up our things in a blur, finally slowing as we stepped through to the other side. The wind was still icy, stinging our mostly naked bodies, but the view was surreal. Dark basalt lined the Lagoon, and mist blew off the milky blue water as if dry ice had been left at the bottom. People waded with their faces covered in a variety of green and white muds. It was quiet, and the air stank of sulfur. We lightly splashed through the Lagoon, the temperature was similar to that of a perfectly drinkable cup of tea. Our eyelashes and the tips of Ryan's beard were tinted white as the silica in the water clung to us. The pool was larger than I expected, the further we waded out the thicker the misty wind became. I laughed upon hearing one couple ask a group for directions on how to get out, but as we kept swimming in I began to see how one might get turned around. We kept exploring the lagoon gradually seeing fewer and fewer people. Soon even the black rocks were invisible in the haze, and when I stopped swimming I realized how quiet it really had become. Just the sound of me and Ryan breathing echoed around us- and then something else. A low grumbly hiss like a train resting. We treaded forward a bit more when a large orange shape appeared ahead of us. Then another by it's side. Orange and almost glowing. I squinted to see what it was we were looking at and for just a moment the mist cleared, revealing a momentus snout. It was scaly and frosted blue, with horns stretching up like shining icicles and a pair of burning, lava orange eyes. We beheld each other for a moment. It breathed a low grumbly breath, warming the water around us. Then as quickly as it had cleared the mist shrouded back over it's face, all we could make out was a glimpse of scale and tail dancing away from us.

It was a long time before we got back to the main part of the Lagoon where people were. And an even longer time until we sat in the car again. Shivering with excitement at having encountered such a spirited balance of fire and ice.