  We summarise some recent results about nearby galactic bulges that are
relevant to their formation. We highlight a number of significant advances in
our understanding of the surface brightness profiles, stellar populations, and
especially the very centers of spiral galaxies. We also view our own Milky Way
as if it were an external galaxy. Our main conclusions are that bulges of
early-type spirals (S0 -- Sb) contain central nuclear components, just like
late-type spirals and most other types of galaxies. The luminosities of these
central components correlate best with total bulge luminosity, and not as well
with morphological type. Bulges of early-type spiral galaxies follow the
fundamental plane and the colour/line strength vs. luminosity relations of
elliptical galaxies. Although we have a reasonable idea about bulges of
early-type spirals we know much less about late-type bulges. However, the close
resemblance of our Milky Way Bulge to bulges in external disk galaxies makes us
suspect that bulges of late-type spirals might be very similar as well.
