Of the European cities I've seen, Bucharest reminds me the most of Naples. Very active, very proud, a bit messy, it contributes a great deal to the picture foreigners have of Romania (the Dracula legend and Transylvania is another story). Unfortunately, I only had two days to see Bucharest, and so I only had a brief glimpse of the major sights.

The most imposing and noticeable sight is the "House of the People," Ceausescu's greatest monument to himself. The 'Palace' is an architectural intruder on Old Bucharest, along with the Bulevardul Unirii (Union Boulevard) of massive government buildings leading away from it. But there are other such Communist-era buildings in Eastern Europe (albeit on a lesser scale). And many U.S. cities lost their historical centers to 'urban renewal' projects in the 1960s and 1970s. This is not to excuse the "House of the People"--it was indeed an immense waste of money and state resources. However, it is not unique in that regard--just notice- able for its size and relative cost. Fortunately, Bucharest is a large city and there are still many areas which retain some fin-de-siecle, Old Romanian charm. I hope to return to Bucharest soon for a longer visit and see how its architecture and its people are faring in the current economic transition to capitalism.