Reflection

   At every turn Iceland's landscape surprised me with its primeval beauty. That the Atlantic, snow-capped mountains, waterfalls, and glaciers could all be seen from one spot at times was a marvel that inspired transcendental reflection. The visceral and untouched nature, which the island sustains, has proven to me that the nonpareil beauty of the natural world has no limits. No picture, no postcard, and certainly no words can adequately capture its Elysian grace.

   Many moments on this trip will remain in my memory:

    wandering through Reykjavik's streets cast golden by the setting sun,

    descending into the icy bowels of a glacier,

    hiking up the sheer mountains beyond Grundarfjordur,

    hearing the stillness of a fjord,

    seeing the ephemerality of a glacier,

    and through the eyes of a waterfall,

    feeling the ominous power of a sleeping volcano,

    and all with great company.

   Above all this experience has reaffirmed my belief in the intertwined destinies of humanity and nature, each with a responsibility to protect the other -- as they are one and the same -- to nurture the posterity of both.