This weathered marble sculpture stands outside Bucharest’s massive university, so I can only assume that he was a prominent educator or literary figure. The structure behind him seems just as worn – many of Bucharest’s institutional buildings show the effects of age and lack of maintenance. His body language is humble, hand outstretched, head cast down – quite different from the posture of heroic bronze rulers and political leaders elsewhere in Bucharest. Together, the statue and the building give us a sense of this place – Bucharest, known as “Little Paris”in early years of the 20th century, has had a hard time of it ever since.