TRAVELS ABROAD

A. First Travel Abroad (1882-1887)

May 3, 1882 - Rizal left the Philippines

● Rizal left the Philippines bound to Spain wherein he boarded the Salvadora using a passport
of Jose Mercado.
➔ Jose Mercado
Rizal used this name in his passport which was procured for him by his uncle
Antonio Rivera.
➔ Rizal was only the Filipino in Salvadora and the rest includes Spaniards, British and
Indian Negros
● The main purpose of his secret departure going to Spain is to avoid detection by the Spanish
authorities and friars.

Purpose of His First Travel Abroad:

● He wanted to get the best education in order to find a solution on what he can do to help his
oppressed Motherland.
● He was disgusted with the educational system and racial issue wherein rampant
discrimination against Filipino students in UST.
● Rizal’s Secret Mission
“To observe keenly the life and culture, languages and customs, industries and
government and laws of the European nations in order to prepare himself of the mighty task
of liberating his oppressed people from Spanish tyranny.”

Singapore (1882)
● May 9, 1882 - The Salvadora docked at Singapore.
Rizal received a royal treatment starting from his lodging, visits in centers, museums,
etc. which all increased his cultural growth.

People He Met in His Travel

Singapore Short Description

Donato Lecha ● Befriended by Rizal and is considered the ship captain from
Asturias Spain.
● He was described as an affable man by Rizal, “much more
refined than his country men and colleagues that I have
met.”

Places He Adore/Despise
● A Beautiful Island - On May 8, 1882 he saw a beautiful island while the steamer was
approaching in Singapore wherein he was impressed by the scenic beauty as he remembered
the “Talim Island with the Susong Dalaga.”

● Hotel de la Paz- Rizal spent two days on a sightseeing soiree of the city wherein he saw the
famous Botanical Garden, Buddhist temples, and the statue of Sir Thomas Stanford Raffles.
Colombo, Sri Lanka (1882)
 ● Rizal was transferred to another ship named Djemnah, a French streamer wherein it left
Singapore to Europe on May 11, 1882
● His journey is significant for him in order to improve his knowledge of the French language
while he was on Djemnah.

Places He Adore/Despise:
● Point Galle
On May 17, 1882 they reached this town. Point Galle is a seacoast town in southern
Ceylon (now Sri lanka). Rizal was unimpressed with it.
He also wrote in his travel diary,“The general appearance of Point Galle is
picturesque but lonely and quiet and at the same time sad.”

● Colombo
May 18, 1882 Rizal reached Colombo which is the capital of Ceylon (now Sri
Lanka). He was fascinated with Colombo due to its scenery and elegant buildings.
Rizal wrote: “Colombo is more beautiful, smart and elegant than Singapore, Point
Galle and Manila.”
➔ Rizal called the barren coast of Africa as “inhospitable land but famous.”

● Aden
May 27, 1882 he reached Aden which was the seaport city in Yemen. Situated by the
eastern approach to the Red Sea. It is the city which is considered hotter than Manila as he
made an observation at that time wherein he also adores the place due to being amazed seeing
camels for the first time.

Suez Canal (1882)

● June 2, 1882 – he arrived at the Suez Canal, the terminal of the Red Sea.
● Suez Canal was built by Ferdinand de Lesseps who was a French diplomat-engineer. The
canal was inaugurated on November 17, 1869

Place He Adores:
● Impressed with the moonlight in the city because it reminded him of his hometown and
family. He was reminded of Calamba, Laguna during the night.

City of Naples, Italy (1882)

● June 11, 1882
He arrived at the City of Naples, Italy for one hour and this was the first European
ground he set foot on. Naples is a city in Southern Italy which is found on the west coast by
the Gulf of Naples.

Place He Adores:
● Naples
Rizal liked Naples or the Italian City due to its business activity, the panoramic view,
and especially the lively people.

Marseilles, France (1882)

● June 12, 1882 - The streamer docked at the french harbor of Marseilles.
 ● Marseilles - Chateau d’If
Rizal visited this place because this is where Dantes, hero of the Count of Monte
Cristo was imprisoned.

Barcelona, Spain (1882)

● June 16, 1882 - Rizal reached Barcelona which is considered three days short of his birthday.
● While living in Barcelona, Rizal received bad news.
○ The cholera that was ravaging Manila and the provinces according to
Paciano’s letter, dated September 15, 1882.
○ The chatty letter of Chengoy recounting the unhappiness of Lenor Rivera.

People He Met
● Rizal met some of his classmates from Ateneo wherein they gave him a welcome party at
Cafe Plaza de Cataluna.

Articles Written by Rizal

1. Amor Patrio (Love of Country)
● It is considered a nationalistic essay wherein it is the first article of Rizal which is
written in Spain.
● On August 20, 1882 this essay appeared in print in Diariong Tagalog wherein he
used Laong Laan as his pen-name.
● It was published in both Spanish and Tagalog in which the Spanish text was
originally written by Rizal in Barcelona while the Tagalog text was a translation by
M.H del Pilar.
● The second article wrote by Rizal for Diariong Tagalog was Los Viajes (Travels)

Places He Adore/Despise
● Barcelona
At first Rizal had an unfavorable first impression on Barcelona. He thought that the
city was ugly including the dirty little inns and inhospitable residents because upon his arrival
he happened to stay at the “towns most ugly side.”
He changed his perception and he saw that it was a great city, with an atmosphere of
freedom and liberalism. Also, the people there were open-hearted, hospitable and courageous.
Barcelona is the greatest city of Cataluna and as well as the second largest city in Spain.

● Las Ramblas
Rizal loved and enjoyed strolling along the most famous street in Barcelona, Las
Ramblas.

Madrid, Spain (1882)

● One of the major reasons why Rizal moved into Madrid is due to his medical studies.
 On november 3, 1882 Rizal enrolled at the Universidad Central de Madrid (Central
University of Madrid) wherein he enrolled in two courses: Medicine and Philosophy and
Letters.
● Also, he studied painting and sculpture in the Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando.
● He took language lessons in French, German, and English at the Academy of Santo Carlos.
● Rizal joined the Circulo-Hispano Filipino wherein he was asked by some of the members to
write a poem. The poem was entitled “Me Piden Versos” (they ask me for verses).
● Rizal was also exposed to liberal ideas and cultural influences as he came in contact with
prominent Spanish liberal and republican Spaniards.

People He Met in His Travel

Madrid, Spain Short Description

Paterno Brothers (Antonio, ● They are friends of Rizal wherein they often held meetings
Pedro andMaximo) and celebrations in their home (e.g., reunions of Filipino
students.

Don Pablo Ortega y Rey ● A rich mestizo and a former Mayor in Manila who
welcomed Rizal in his house.

Who had influenced him

● Consuelo Ortiga y Rey
She is one of the daughters of Don Pablo Ortiga Y Rey. She awakened the heart of
Rizal to love anew but he didn't court her because he wants to be loyal to Leoner Rivera and
doesn't want to destroy the friendship they have with Eduardo de Lete. Consuelo preferred to
choose Eduardo over Rizal. Consuelo was Rizals’s inspiration in writing the “A La Senorita
C.O.y.R.'' it is a poem dedicated to Consuelo and was written on August 22, 1882

Paris, France (1883)

● June 17, 1883 Rizal arrived at Paris
● His purpose of visiting is to spend his summer vacation in Paris at Hotel de Paris and later
transfer to a cheaper hotel.
● He loved his vacation in Paris wherein he visited beautiful boulevards in the city. According
to him, Paris is the costliest capital in Europe.
● Rizal’s stay in Europe was hard due to the financial difficulty because his family failed to
support due to their agricultural crops in Calamba being affected by drought and locusts and
also the Dominican friars imposed an increase in the rental price of estates .
● Completed his medical course in Spain and was conferred the degree of Licentiate in
Medicine by the Universidad Central de Madrid (June 21, 1884).

People He Met in His Travel

France Short Description
 Maximo Viola ● He is a medical student , member of a rich family of San
Miguel, Bulacan and a friend of Rizal.
Places He Adore:
● He was amazed with the beautiful sceneries of Paris like all tourists that went there.
These are some of the places he visited:
● Champs Elysses Ave.
● Opera House
● Arch of Triumph
● Place de la Concorde
● Cathedral of Notre Damme
● Invalides Museum

GERMANY (Berlin, Heidelberg, Leipzig and Dresden) 1886 - 1887

The purpose of Rizal was to visit both Paris and Germany in order to specialize in
ophthalmology and at the same time still embodied his secret mission which is to observe the customs
and lifestyle of the Europeans and for him to render better service in the country.

Significant Dates
● February 3, 1886 – Rizal arrived in the town of Heidelberg, Germany
Rizal was so fascinated with the beauty of the Heidelberg flower that he wrote a
beautiful poem about them, “To the Flowers of Heidelberg.”

● April 26, 1886 – He left Heidelberg for Wilhemsfeld, Germany in order to give honor to the
invitation extended to him by Rev. Karl Ulmer.

● August 15, 1886 – He left Wilhemsfeld for Leipzig, Germany to offer no little knowledge in
Tagalog to Prof. Ferdinand Blumenthal for the letter’s study of the language.

● October 29, 1886 – he visited the Palacio Japonais and many other interesting places in
Dresden, Germany.

People He Met in His Travel

Germany Short Description

Dr. Feodor Jagor ● He is the author of Travels in the Philippines. It is a book

admired by Rizal due to its keen observances in the
Philippine setting.

Dr. Louis de Weckert ● He is a leading French ophthalmologist wherein Rizal

worked as an assistant from 1885 to 1886.

Paz Pardo de Tavera ● She is a pretty woman who was engaged to Juan Luna.

Dr. Karl Ullmer ● He is a kind protestant pastor where Rizal stayed. He also
becomes Rizal’s good friend and admirer.

Professor Friedrich Ratzel ● A famous German historian who was also befriended by
 Rizal.

Dr. Hans Meyer ● A German anthropologist and a friend of Rizal.

Dr. Adoph B. Meyer ● Dr. Adoph B. Meyer

Dr. Rudolf Virchow ● He is a famous German anthropologist introduced by Dr.

Jagor to Rizal

Dr. Hans Vircho ● He is a professor of Descriptive Anatomy and the son of Dr.
Rudolf.

Dr. W. Joest ● German geographer

Dr. Ernest Schweigger ● He is a famous german ophthalmologist where Rizal

worked.

Madame Lucie Cerdole ● He is the professor of French of Rizal for him to master the
idiomatic intricacies of the French language.

People Who Helped Rizal:

● Maximo Viola - He is a friend of Rizal who supports him by giving or loaned him the
necessary funds to publish the novel, Noli Me Tangere.
- March 21, 1887 the novel Noli Me Tangere was published in Germany.

Switzerland (1887)
● June 19, 1887 – Rizal celebrated his 26th birthday in Geneva with his friend Viola and his
attitude towards revolution was manifested in his letters to Blumentritt.
● June 23, 1887 – Rizal and Viola parted ways wherein Rizal went to Rome and Viola to
Barcelona.

Italy (1887)
● June 27, 1887 – Rizal arrived at Rome, Italy which is considered the “Eternal City” and also
called the “City of the Caesars.”

Places he adore:
● Rizal was delighted by the sights and memories of the Eternal City. On June 27, 1887 he
wrote: “grandeur that was Rome.”

After a week of wonderful stay in Rome, Rizal already wrote to his father that he was
coming home and preparing to return to the Philippines.
Rizal as a Kind of Traveller
Based on his first travel, Rizal is considered as unordinary tourist because he was observing
the way of life, culture, custom, etc. of the countries he went to and it can be observed that he spent a
lot of his time in significant places where he can gather beneficial information such as in museums.
 Second Travel (1888- 1891)

Hong Kong and Macau (1888)

Rizal was forced to leave his country for the second time hounded by powerful enemies on
February 21, 1888. He was half-sick and disillusioned. He was a full grown 27 years old man, a
practicing physician, and a recognized man-of-letters. Zafiro is the vessel he ride on.

People he met and who had helped him

● Rizal stayed in Victoria Hotel while in Hong Kong. He was welcomed by Filipino residents.
There he met Jose Maria Basa, Balbino Mauricio, and Manuel Yriarte.

● Rizal stayed at the home of Don Juan Francisco Lecaros, a Filipino gentleman, while in
Macau.

HONG KONG SHORT DESCRIPTION

Jose Maria Basa A Filipino resident in Hong Kong. He also

toured Rizal in Macau.

Balbino Mauricio Another Filipino resident whom Rizal

befriended in Hong Kong.

Manuel Yriarte Also a Filipino resident in Hong Kong. He is

the son of the alcalde mayor in Laguna.

Jose Slanz de Varanda A Spaniard who served as a secretary of Gov.

Gen. Terrero and became a spy by shadowing
Rizal’s movement in Hong Kong.

Josephine Bracken Another well-known lover of Rizal. She almost

became her wife had he was not afraid of
commitment.

MACAU SHORT DESCRIPTION

Don Juan Francisco Lecaros A Filipino gentleman, who accommodated

Rizal and Basa at his home.

Rizal studied the Chinese way of life. Jose observed the following:

● The Chinese New Year

● Chinese theaters
● The Marathon Lauriat Party
 ● The richest order in Hongkong, THE DOMINICANS.
● The cemeteries in Hongkong

Japan (February 22, 1888)

Rizal left Hong Kong on board the Oceanic, an American steamer, and his destination was
Japan. He arrived at Yokohama on Feb. 28, 1888. He stayed at the Grand Hotel (Hotel Grande.) The
next day he went to Tokyo and stayed there from March 2-7.

People he met

JAPAN SHORT DESCRIPTION

Seiko Usul A lover of Rizal, a very beautiful Japanese girl. She

taught him the Japanese language which he mastered
within a week. Almost got Rizal to settle in Japan.

Juan Perez Caballero The secretary of the Spanish Legation in Hong Kong
and invited Rizal to reside in the Spanish Legation.

Who had influenced/helped him

● Juan Perez Caballero

Secretary of the Spanish Legation, who visited Rizal at his hotel who later invited
him to live at the Spanish Legation. On March 7, 1888, Rizal checked out of Tokyo Hotel and
lived at the Spanish Legation
Rizal accepted the invitation for two reasons:
(1) he could economize his living expenses by staying at the legation
(2) he had nothing to hide from the prying eyes of the Spanish authorities

Rizal was favorably impressed by Japan because,

(1) the beauty of the country—its flowers, mountains, streams and scenic panoramas,
(2) the cleanliness, politeness, and industry of the Japanese people
(3) the picturesque dress and simple charm of the Japanese women
(4) there were very few thieves in Japan so that the houses remained open day and night, and
in hotel room one could safely leave money on the table
(5) beggars were rarely seen in the
city, streets, unlike in Manila and other cities

Despise
● Rickshaw - popular mode of transportation drawn by men that Rizal did not like in Japan
 United States of America (USA)

Rizal left Yokohama on April 13, 1888 on board the steamer BELGIC bound for USA. He
boarded the English vessel, Belgic on April 18, 1888. He then reached SAN FRANCISCO on Apr.
28, 1888. He described America as a great country, but it has many defects too. They do not have real
civil liberty. When he was asked by Jose Alejandro about his impression of the country, he stated:
AMERICA IS THE LAND PAR EXCELLENCE OF FREEDOM BUT ONLY FOR THE WHITES.

People he met

United States of America (USA) SHORT DESCRIPTION

Tetcho Suehiro A fighting Japanese journalist who has been forced

into exile by the government. Met Rizal on the
Belgic and became friends.

What he adores about USA:

(1) the material progress of the country as shown in the great cities, huge farms, flourishing industries
and busy factories
(2) the drive and energy of the American people
(3) the natural beauty of the land
(4) the high standard of living
(5) the opportunities for better life offered to poor immigrants

London (May 1888)

Three reasons Rizal lived in London:

(1) to improve his knowledge of the English language
(2) to study and annotate Morga’s Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas, a rare copy of which he
heard to be available in the British Museum
(3) London was a safe place for him to carry on his fight against Spanish tyranny

He worked in the British Museum Library, studied, copied, and published Morga's book. He
stayed as a guest of Dr. Antonio Ma. Regidor. By May, he moved to a boarding house owned by the
Beckett family.

People he met
 LONDON SHORT DESCRIPTION

Dr. Antonio Ma. A practicing lawyer where Rizal stayed at his home as a
Regidor guest.

Dr. Reinhold Rozt A librarian of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Recommended Rizal to authorities of the British Museum
and famously called him “ pearl of a man”.

● Because he was an excellent linguist, he became good friends with Dr. Reinhold Rost, a
Sanskrit scholar, the greatest scholar of that century. He even spent time with him.

● Rost was impressed with his manners and called him "UNA PERLA DE HOMBRE" or
Pearl of a Man.

The greatest achievement of Rizal in London was the annotating of Morga’s

book, Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas (Historical Events of the Philippine Islands), which
was published in Mexico, 1609.

Spain (December 11, 1888)

Rizal went to Spain on December 11, 1888, visiting Madrid and Barcelona

People he met

Spain Short Description

Marcelo H. Del An illustrado and a leading figure of the propaganda

Pillar movement. Founder of the famous La Solidaridad and a
respected member of the Freemasons.

Mariano Ponce Another famous figure in the propaganda movement. He is

also the co-founder of La Solidaridad together with
Marcelo del Pillar.

● December 24, 1888

● Rizal returned to London and spent Christmas and New Year’s Day with the
Becketts

Paris, France (March 1889)

Purpose
 Rizal visited Paris for a week in order to search for more historical materials in the
Bibliotheque Nationale. He stayed with Valentin Ventura and then transferred from different hotels
and boarding houses. He composed the story of THE MONKEY AND THE TORTOISE and wrote
another satire entitled POR TELEFONO. During his stay in Paris, France he finalized his copy of
Morga's book which showed evidence that the Filipinos were already civilized before the Spaniards
came.

The place he adores

● He was fascinated by the Universal Exposition, especially the Eiffel Tower -- MAY 6, 1889.

Brussels, Belgium (January 28,1890)

People he met
● Jose Albert accompanied him to Brussels. He also lived with Jose Alejandro. He left Paris
because:
-the expensive cost of living
-the gay social life hampered his literary works.

In Brussels, he made himself busy with sculpturing, shooting, going to gym, writing
and reading, and writing articles for the La Solidaridad, examples are:
● A La Defensa, La verdad para Todos, Vicente Barrantes' Teatro Tagalo, Una Profanacion,
Crueldad, Ingratitudes,etc.

Rizal scouted around to look for a suitable printing shop, he finally found one in Ghent,
the Meyer Van Loo Press which agreed to print the book while being pad in installment.

BIARRITZ, FRANCE (1891)

Purpose
Rizal wanted to take a rest from the problems he was carrying. He stayed in Biarritz for 1
month and finished El Filibusterismo there. He retired from the Propaganda movement and he wanted
to focus on publishing El Fili and his medical profession. He was deciding to settle either in the
Philippines, Hongkong or Japan because Europe seemed a banishment to him due to the conflict in La
Solidaridad.

The Last for the second trip abroad of Rizal

After completing the printing of El Filibusterismo Rizal finally decided to leave Europe and
take up residence in Hong Kong. On October 18, 1891, Rizal boarded the steamer Melbourne in
Marseilles and arrived in Hong Kong on November 20, 1891. He wrote a letter to Queen Regent
Maria Cristina, explaining her situation in Calamba while in Hong Kong. He also made a translation
of Rousseau's Rights of Man which was written during the French Revolution.

After completing the printing of El Filibusterismo Rizal finally decided to leave Europe and
take up residence in Hong Kong in November 20, 1891.

References:

The travels of Rizal. Filipinas Heritage Library | The Travels of Rizal. (1970, November 15).
Retrieved October 27, 2021, from https://www.filipinaslibrary.org.ph/articles/the-travels-of-
rizal/.

Jose Rizal Online. Jose Rizal. (n.d.). Retrieved October 27, 2021, from
https://rizal.raphaelmarco.com/travels.

Jose Rizal [travels]. (n.d.). Retrieved October 27, 2021, from http://www.joserizal.ph/tr01.html.

Rizal as a reformist - travels: Second part. (n.d.). Retrieved October 27, 2021, from
https://www.oocities.org/mcc_joserizal/reform_travels2.html.

Yao, L. (n.d.). First Travel. Academia.edu. Retrieved October 27, 2021, from
https://www.academia.edu/35251874/First_Travel.