Pantà de la Baells, #15, Catalunya, Febrer, 2026
“The sun did not shine. It was too wet to play. So we sat in the house. All that cold, cold, wet day.”
― The Cat in the Hat
“It was a rainy night. It was the myth of a rainy night.”
― On the Road
Rain and Snow
This winter, massive sheets of rain and snow have fallen all over Catalunya. I saw one statistic that said that the snowpack in the Pyrenees is at 251% currently.
Oh, happy skiers!
That means that many of the formerly almost-dry reservoirs are getting a nice top off. The lake above, for example (El Pantà de la Baells), is now at 98% of capacity. Given the snowpack in the mountains, they will certainly have to start releasing gobs and gushes of water as the spring thaw begins.
Oh, happy farmers!
Does this mean the drought is over here in Catalunya? Not really. A small number of reservoirs are still on the low side, and with the unpredictability of climate change we will need a number of years like this to get things back on the moisture track.
In the meantime, we are enjoying the relief.
Oh, happy us!
The Images: El Pantà de la Baells, la Central Térmica de Sercs, Pedraforca
In addition to this pretty little lake I found a couple other interesting subjects to photograph: the abandoned coal-fired power plant (Central Térmica), and up a narrow winding road, an in-your-face view of the iconic Pedraforca Mountain splatted with snow. All made with the Nikon D850 and Nikkor 70-200 f/4 lens on a tripod.
Starting with the lake, here are three possible compositions of the same basic view. Sometimes it pays to stroll around in circles if you think you have found a possible image hot spot–there could be stronger compositions available just a few steps away. Here, my attention was primarily drawn to those two bare trees in the water and I kept trying to find different ways to frame them. Color seemed to be better than monochrome given the nice red/orange-blue contrast going on (you can see the monochrome versions farther below to compare)…
Pantà de la Baells, #13, Catalunya, 2026
Pantà de la Baells, #14, Catalunya, 2026
Pantà de la Baells, #17, Catalunya, 2026
With the rising waters, the old monastery of Sant Salvador de la Vedella is a bit harder to get to now (a year ago, you could have simply walked over to it). First, I tried a 2:1 panorama kind o’ crop, then I experimented with a more “mysterious” composition peering through the thick brush. This monastery has a history that dates back over a thousand years to the year 835. Obviously it has been modified, destroyed, rebuilt, eroded, renovated, flooded, etc. over the eons, and there was actually a much larger complex of structures below the building you see here…
Pantà de la Baells, #9, Catalunya, 2026
Pantà de la Baells, #7, Catalunya, 2026
Not far from the reservoir, maybe 20-25 minutes up a windy mountain road, you will find these views of the great “pitchfork” the Catalans call Pedraforca. If you look closely, you can see a mish-mash of ski tracks coming down from the snowy saddle. Oh, happy skiers! In the summer, this is a popular and coveted alpine rock climbing and hiking destination…
Pedraforca Dawn, #2, Catalunya, 2026
Pedraforca Dawn, #3, Catalunya, 2026 (Red Dawn)
Moving to Monochrome…
OK, now compare these photos with the color images of Pedraforca above. What do you think? Which do you prefer?
Pedraforca Dawn, #1, Catalunya, 2026
Pedraforca Dawn, #4, Catalunya, 2026
Heading back down the hill to the reservoir once again… compare these B&Ws with the color versions above. Again, what do you think? Do they work for you? Or was color the best choice? Or, are they just different, provoking different moods?
Pantà de la Baells, #13, Catalunya, 2026
Pantà de la Baells, #14, Catalunya, 2026
Pantà de la Baells, #15, Catalunya, 2026
These young trees had grown up near the normally-dry inlet to the lake and this may be the first time they have felt the cold waters lapping at their ankles…
Pantà de la Baells, #4, Catalunya, 2026
A monochrome rendering of the color pano of the monastery you have already seen…
Pantà de la Baells, #9, Catalunya, 2026
Just above the lake, you will see an abandoned coal-fired power plant, la Central Térmica de Sercs. It belched out smoke from its chimney from 1971 (Franco era) until its closure in 2011 (although there existed an earlier version of the plant on this site built in 1931). This was the last coal plant to close in Catalunya. (Interestingly, the boss of the plant, Ernesto Domingo Ibars, was convicted, jailed, and fined for “ecological crimes” after a successful suit was filed by local farmers who complained of acid rains and crop damage in the area.)
A short consult with Sant Google reveals that this could be an appealing and unique urbex site. Hmmm…
Pantà de la Baells, #8, Catalunya, 2026
Pantà de la Baells, #5, Catalunya, 2026
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