An exciting new sight?

Because we were using an older guidebook, we missed one of the most striking new sights in Barcelona. We spotted the Torre Agbar from the top of Montjuic, and I remember thinking it looked a lot like Norman Foster's Swiss Re building in London, albeit more, um, "Freudian."

As it turns out, there is only one Norman Foster structure in Barcelona: the dull Torre de Communicació de Collserola, which, unfortunately, you can see from everywhere. No, the Torre Agbar was designed by French architect Jean Nouvel, probably best known for the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris.

Apparently, what's more impressive about this building is not its shape (or even its size), but the skin -- there's multicolored glass, and at night, there are over 4,000 blue, pink and red lights on the façade. It's supposed to be rather pretty, though sadly we didn't see it. Nouvel has said that the Torre Agbar was influenced by Gaudi and Montserrat. A British critic says this building improves on the Swiss Re tower.

I'm not sure. I think the Swiss Re building is more elegant and soaring. But seeing the Torre Agbar only from the top of mountain isn't fair. Next time we're in Barcelona, we'll check it out more carefully. And of course we need to go to London, too.

More on Montserrat shortly. Feeling very lazy today.