“Jose Rizal’s Travels Abroad”

Presented By:
Marie Necole M. De Villa
Hasmin Deri
Nicole De Sagun

BEED-1202
Which country/place would you like
to go and why?
Introduction:
During our hero’s time, traveling is very limited to the
lay Filipino, since it was expensive. And also during that
time, there were no airships that would quickly bring
people to a certain place as we have today. The major
transportation means were streamers, horse-power, trains,
and foot. Rizal was not merely a tourist but a traveler
who studies the culture of the places he visits. He is also
traveling to acquire more knowledge, most of which are
sciences and literature.
May 3, 1882

• In 1882, after finishing his fourth year at the University of Santo

Tomas, Rizal left for Spain to continue his studies there.

• Rizal left the Philippines bound for Spain to observe life abroad and
to write a book displaying Filipino nationalism.

• Rizal’s departure was kept secret to avoid detection from Spanish

authorities and the friars.
Barcelona
June 16, 1882
•In spain, Rizal regularly met with some of his former
schoolmates from Ateneo Municipal and this partially
relieved his homesickness. He also wrote articles for a
newspaper based in Manila, one of which was his first
Published essay El Amor Patrio (Love of Country).
•He also spent his time growing his personal library
that included books on the lives of the presidents of he
United States and the History of the English civil war.
Madrid Spain
• November 3, 1882 – Rizal Enrolled in the Universidad Central de Madrid
(Central University of Madrid) in two courses – Medicine, Philosophy and
Letters.
• Rizal also met Don Pablo Ortiga Y Rey, a former alcalde of Manila, whose
house commonly serve as meeting place for Filipino students in Madrid.
• He soon joined the group, Circulo Hispano Filipino led by Juan
Atayde.
• He also regularly convened with his Filipino friends from the Los
Indios Bravos that included renowned painters Juan Luna and Felix
Resureccion Hidalgo
• In 1884, Jaena and Rizal delivered speeches at the Expocision
De Bellas Artes in Madrid where two Filipino painters were
Given Recognition.
• Luna received an award for his Spoliarium and Felix
Resureccion Hidalgo for his Virgeness Christian as
Expeuestas al Populacho.

Spoliarium Virgeness Christianas Expuestas al

Populacho
• In his collection of books, Rizal had two favorites – Uncle Tom’s
Cabin (1852) by Harriet Beecher Stowe and The Wandering Jew
(1884) by Eugene Sue.
First Visit in Paris
June 17 to August 20, 1883- Rizal sojourn in Paris

• Hotel de Paris - where Rizal billeted but later, he moved to

a cheaper hotel in the Latin Quarter.
• Laennec Hospital - where Rizal observed Dr. Nicaise
treating his patients.
• Lariboisiere Hospital - where Rizal observed the
examination of different diseases of women.
• Rizal go back to Madrid.

• After Rizal’s departure for Spain, things turned from bad to worse in
Calamba:

(1) harvests of rice and sugarcane failed on account of drought and

locusts

(2) the manager of the Dominican-owned hacienda increased the

rentals of the lands
Paris
November 1885, Rizal was living in Paris where he sojourned for about four
months.

• Dr. Louis de Wecker - leading French ophthalmologist

wherein Rizal worked as an assistant from November
1885 to February 1886.
• While not working at Dr. Wecker’s clinic, Rizal visited
his friends, such as the family of Pardo de Taveras, Juan
Luna and Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo.
• He was a flutist in various impromptu reunions of
Filipinos in Paris
Germany
February 1, 1886 - Rizal Left Paris for Germany.

Heidelberg

• February 3, 1886 - Rizal arrived in Heidelberg, a historic city in

Germany famous for its old university and romantic surroundings
• Dr. Otto Becker - distinguished German ophthalmologist where
Rizal worked (University Eye Hospital).
• April 22, 1886- Rizal wrote a fine poem “A Las Flores de
Heidelberg” (To the Flowers of Heidelberg)
Leipzig
• August 9, 1886 - Rizal left Heidelberg
• August 14, 1886 - boarded by a train. Rizal arrived in Leipzig.
• He attended lectures on History and Psychology
• Wilhelmsfeld
• Dr. Karl Ullmer - a kind Protestant pastor where Rizal stayed,
who became his good friend and admirer.
• In Leipzig, Rizal translated Schiller’s William Tell from
German into Tagalog
 Berlin
• Rizal met for the first time Dr. Feodor Jagor, celebrated
German scientist-traveler and author of Travels in the
Philippines, a book which Rizal read and admired during his
student days in Manila.
• Dr. Ernest Schweigger (1830-1905) - famous German
ophthalmologist where Rizal worked.
• Rizal became a member of the Anthropological Society, the
Ethnological Society, and the Geographical Society of Berlin.
• Noli Me Tangere published in Berlin.
The Biggest contributor to Rizal’s venture
in writing was Dr. Maximo Viola. He
financed the publication of Rizal’s first
book, Noli Me Tangere, in 1887 with 2,000
initial copies. Copies were given to Viola
and to Rizal’s friends in Spain, while others
were shipped to the Philippines that then
reached the hands of the Governor General
of the Philippines and the Archbishop of
Manila.
 After the publication of Noli Me
Tangere, Viola accompanied Rizal to
Austria to finally meet Dr. Ferdinand
Blumentritt, with whom Rizal exchanged
letters and books for several years and
whom he considered as one of his
advisers. After a few trips to Roma and
other pparts of Italy, Rizal returned to the
Philippines to Personally witness the
impact of his novel.
• After 5 years of memorable adventure in Europe, He returned to the
Philippines in August 1887.

• Although his life is threatened because his Noli Me Tangere caused

uproar especially among the friars, he insists on returning home. He
has his reasons of coming home:
1. He wants to operate his mother’s eyes
2. He wants to know how his novel affected the life of the Filipino.
3. To serve Calamba, Laguna as physician
 A few weeks after his arrival, he received a letter from Governor
General Emilio Terrero requesting him to come to Malacañan Palace.
Rizal went to Manila and appeared before Gov.Gen. Terrero and denied
the acquisitions of the Governor General. He explained that it was merely
an exposition of truth, but he did not advocate rebellious ideas. The
governor was pleased by his explanation and asked for a copy of Noli so
that he could read it. Rizal had no copy that time but promised it to the
governor general once he secured a copy of it.

Rizal found a copy in the hands of a friend. He was able to give it to

governor general Terrero. The governor general knew that Rizal’s life
was in jeopardy because the friars were powerful. He then assigned a
young Spanish lieutenant as a bodyguard of Rizal.
 In 1 8 8 7 , Rizal returned briefly in the Philippines, but
because of the furor surrounding of the appearance of Noli
Me Tangere, he was advised by the governor to leave. He
returned to Europe by way of Japan and North America to
complete his second novel and an edition of Antonio de
Morga’s seventeenth-century work, Sucesos de las Islas
Filipinas (History of the Philippine Islands).
• From Hong Kong, Rizal traveled to Macau and Japan
before going to America. Entering San Francisco,
California, in April 1888, he visited the states of Nevada,
Utah, Colorado, Nebraska, Illinois, and New York. He
jotted down his observations of the landscape in his diary.
Rizal lived in London from May 1888 to March 1889. He
chose this English city because of three reasons:
1. To improve his knowledge of the English language;
2. To study and annotate Morga’s Sucesos de las Islas
Filipinas
3. London was a safe place from the attacks of Spanish
tyranny.
• Rizal arrived in England in May 1888. In August, he was admitted to the British
Museum, where he copied Antonio de Morga’s massive study of the
Philippines, Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas, which Rizal later annotated for
publication “as a gift to the Filipinos.” In the museum he devoted his time reading
all the sources on Philippine history that he could find. He kept up his
correspondence with various people, including his family, who were being
oppressed by the Spanish religious landowners; the Filipino patriots in Spain; and
his Austrian friend, Ferdinand Blumentritt, with whom he planned to form an
association of Philippine scholars. From 1888 to 1890 he shuttled between London
and Paris, where he wrote ethnographic and history-related studies, as well as
political articles. He also frequently visited Spain, where he met with fellow
Filipino intellectuals like Marcelo H. del Pilar, Mariano Ponce, and Graciano
Lopez-Jaena.
In March 1891, Rizal finished writing his second novel, El
Filibusterismo in France. He planned to publish the book in Belgium,
but was financially hard up. His brother’s support from back home
was delayed in coming, and he was scrimping on meals and expenses.
Finally, in September 1891, El Filibusterismo was published in Ghent
using donations from Rizal’s friends particularly Valentin Ventura.
Readings: “Goodbye to Leonor”

And so it has arrived – the fatal instant,

the dismissal injunction of my cruel fate;
So it has come at last – the moment, the date,
When I must separate myself from you.

Goodbye, Leonor, goodbye! I take my leave

Leaving behind with you my lover’s heart!
Goodbye, Leonor: from here I now depart.
O melancholy absence! Ah, what pain!