Decisions to go abroad

​Rizal has a secret mission why he wants to go abroad to observe the following:

1) life and culture in Europe,

2) languages and customs,

3) industries and commerce, and

4) Governments and laws of the European nations.

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Departure for Spain

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​> In Singapore, he spent most of his time visiting the historic places, botanical garden, temples, and art galleries

and writing his diary and letters.

> Rizal’s departure was kept secret to avoid detection by the Spanish authorities and the friars. The kind Jesuit priests gave him letters of recommendations to members of their Society in Barcelona. Rizal departed on May 3, 1882 boarded the Salvadora with the following route: Manila – Singapore – Colombo – through the Suez Canal – Naples and Marseiles – Barcelona.

​First trip to Suez Canal

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> ​On June 11, Rizal reached Naples. Night of June 12, the steamer docked at the French harbor of Marsielles. He visited the Chateau d’If, where Dantes, the hero in The Count of Monte Cristo was imprisoned.

> Rizal boarded the Djemnah from Singapore to Europe, a French steamer, it was larger and cleaner than the Salvadora. He tried to speak French with some passengers, which he learned it Ateneo, but unfortunately passengers cannot understand him.

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​A friend,

Consuelo Ortiga y Perez

Other activities of Rizal in Madrid

> Rizal joined the Circulo Hispano-Filipino, a society

of liberal Spaniards and Filipinos. As a member of this society Rizal wrote a poem entitled “Me

Piden Versos” (They ask me for Verses).

​

​> In March 1883, Rizal joined the Masonic lodge called Acacia in Madrid. His Masonic name was

Dimasalang. Later he transferred to Lodge Solidaridad where he became a Master Mason.

• Two reasons why he became a Mason:

➢ The bad friars in the Philippines unworthy of their priestly habit or calling

➢ He needed the help of the Masons to fight the bad friars in the Philippines. (it was a

shield to use in his fight against the evil forces of tyranny)

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Friendly, Rizal​

> Rizal went to Paris and Germany in order to specialize in ophthalmology—Rizal chose this branch of medicine because he wanted to cure his mother’s eye ailment. He met and befriended several top German scientists, Dr. Feodor Jagor, Dr. Adolph B. Meyer, Dr. Hans Meyer, and Dr. Rudolf Virchow.​

> After his studies in Central University of Madrid, Rizal, who was 24 years old and already a​ physician, went to Paris in order to acquire more knowledge in ophthalmology. On his way to Paris, he stopped at Barcelona to visit his friend Maximo Viola a medical student and a member of a rich family of San Miguel, Bulacan, Rizal’s friend. He stayed at Señor Eusebio Corominas house over the week, he was the editor of the newspaper La Publicidad and made a crayon sketch of Don Miguel Morayta, owner of La Publicidad and a statesman

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> At the studio of Juan Luna, the great master of the brush, Rizal spent many happy hours. Rizal helped Luna by posing as model in several paintings. In Luna’s canvas “The Death of Cleopatra” he posed as an Egyptian priest. In another of Luna’s great paintings, “The Blood Compact,” he posed as Sikatuna, with Trinidad Pardo de Tavera taking the role of Legazpi. Luna was engaged to a pretty girl named Paz Pardo de Tavera and later became his wife.

> On November 1885, Rizal was living in Paris where he sojourned for about four months. Rizal worked as an assistant from November 1885 to February 1886 Dr. Louis de Weckert (1852-1906) a leading French ophthalmologist.​

Other activities

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> On July 31, 1886 Rizal wrote his first letter to Professor Ferdinand Blumentritt who is the Director of the Ateneo of Leitmeritz, Austria. Blumentritt is an Austrian ethnologist and he has an interest in the Philippine language. Rizal sent Aritmetica (Arithmetic) book to Blumentritt which was published in 2 languages – Spanish and Tagalog – by the University of Santo Tomas Press in 1868. The author was Rufino Baltazar Hernandez. Blumentritt became the best friend of Rizal.

> On February 8, 1886 Rizal arrived in Heidelberg, a historic city in Germany famous for its old university and romantics surroundings. He became popular among the Germans because they found out that he was a good chess player.​ He worked at the University Eye Hospital under the direction of Dr. Otto Becker, distinguished German ophthalmologist. On April 22, 1886 Rizal wrote a fine poem entitled “A Las Flores de Heidelberg” (To the Flowers of Heidelberg) because he was fascinated by the blooming flowers along the Neckar River, which is the light blue flower called “forget-me-not”—his favorite flower.

Other activities

​Rizal has five reasons why he stayed in Berlin:

(1) To gain further knowledge of ophthalmology

(2) To further his studies of science and languages

(3) To observe the economic and political conditions of the German nation

(4) To associate with famous German scientists and scholars

(5) To publish his novel, Noli Me Tangere.

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Rizal's Darkest Winter

Rizal spent winters in many temperate countries, but the winter of 1886 in Berlin was his darkest winter. He lived in poverty because no money arrived from Calamba and he was flat broke. He could not pay his landlord and he was eating only one meal a day. His clothes were old and threadbare. His health broke down due to lack of proper nourishment. This is one of the most memorable days in the life of Rizal.​

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