CHAPTER 7: Paris to Berlin

 After studying in Madrid, Rizal went to Paris and Germany to specialize in ophthalmology to cure
his mother's eyes. He also continued his travels and observations of European life and customs,
government and laws in Paris, Heidelberg, Leipzig and Berlin. Dr. Feodor Jagor, Dr. Adolph B.
Meyer, Dr. Hans Meyer and Dr. Rudolf Virchow, they are his merits as a scientist were
recognized by the eminent scientists of Europe.

In Gay Paris (1885-86)

 After terminating his studies at Madrid, Rizal, who was then 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. He stayed for a week, during which time he
befriended Señor Eusebio Corominas, editor of the newspaper La Publicidad and made a crayon
sketch of Don Miguel Morayta, owner of La Publicidad and a statesman. He gave Editor
Corominas an article on the Carolines Question, then a controversial issue, for publication. In
November 1885, Rizal was living in Paris, where he sojourned for about four months. He worked
as an assistant to Dr. Louis de Weckert (1852-1906), leading French ophthal mologist, from
November 1885 to February 1886. He rapidly improved his knowledge of ophthalmology, as
revealed by his letter to his parents on January 1, 1886. Outside of his working hours at Dr.
Weckert's clinic. Rizal relaxed by visiting his friends, such as the family of the Pardo de Taveras
(Trinidad, Felix, and Paz), Juan Luna, and Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo. Paz Pardo de Tavera was a
pretty girl, who was engaged to Juan Luna. On the album of this girl, Rizal drew a series of
sketches on the story of "The Monkey and the Turtle". At the studio of Luna, Rizal spent many
happy hours. He discussed with Luna, the great master of the brush, various problems on art
and improved his own painting technique. He helped Luna by posing as model in several
paintings. In Luna's canvas "The Death of Cleopatra," Rizal posed as an Egyptian priest. In
another of Luna's great paintings. “The Blood Com pact," he posed as Sikatuna, with Trinidad
Pardo de Tavera taking the role of Legazpi.

Rizal as Musician
 The Filipino contemporaries of Rizal could either play an instrument or sing. Especially, in the
home of the Pardo de Taveras and in the Luna studio, every reunion was enlivened with the
playing or singing of the kundimans and other Philippine melodies. Rizal had no natural
aptitude for music but he studied music because many of his schoolmates at the Ateneo were
taking music lessons. In a letter dated November 27, 1878, he told Enrique Lete that he "learned
the solfeggio. the piano, and voice culture in one month and a half". However. he confessed
that he could not sing well. By sheer determination and constant practice, Rizal came to play the
flute fairly well. He was a flutist in various impromptu reunions of Filipinos in Paris. It is said that
he even composed some songs, particularly Alin Mang Lahi (Any Race), a pariotic song which
 asserts that any race aspires for freedom, and a sad danza, La Deportacion (Deportation), which
he composed in Dapitan during his exile.

In Historic Heidelberg
 After acquiring enough experience as an ophthalmologist in Dr. Weckert's clinic, Rizal
reluctantly left gay Paris on February 1, 1886 for Germany. He visited Strasbourg (capital of
Alsace Lorraine) and other German border towns. On February 3, 1886, he arrived in
Heidelberg, a historic city in Germany famous for its old university and romantic surroundings.
For a short time he lived in a boarding house with some German law students. These students
found out that Rizal was a good chess player so that they made him a member of the Chess
Player's Club. After a few days, Rizal transferred to a boarding house which was near the
University of Heidelberg. He worked at the University Eye Hospital under the direction of Dr.
Otto Becker, distinguished German ophthalmologist, and attended the lectures of Doctor
Becker and Prof. Wilhelm Kuehne at the university. During week-ends, Rizal visited the scenic
spots around Heidelberg, including the famous Heidelberg Castle, the romantic Neckar River,
the theater, and the old churches. He noticed that the German Catholics and Protestants
practised ecumenism, for they lived together in harmony and cordiality. One of the town
churches was used "one-half by the Catholics and the other half by the Protestants."

To the Flowers of Heidelberg

 In the spring of 1886, Rizal was fascinated by the blooming flowers along the cool banks of the
Neckar River. Among them was his favorite flower - the light blue "forget-me-not".

 The beautiful spring flowers reminded him of the blooming flowers at the garden of his home in
Calamba. In his mood of homesickness, he wrote on April 22, 1886, a fine poem "A Las Flores de
Heidelberg" (To the Flowers of Heidelberg).

With Pastor Ullmer at Wilhelmsfeld

 After writing "To the Flowers of Heidelberg," Rizal spent a three-month summer vacation at
Wilhelmsfeld, a mountainous village near Heidelberg. He stayed at the vicarage of a kind
Protestant pastor, Dr. Karl Ullmer, who became his good friend and admirer. His pleasant
personality and talents in languages and sketching endeared him to the pastor's wife, who was a
good cook, and two children, Etta (daughter) and Fritz (son). So delightful was his stay at Pastor
Ullmer's home that Rizal felt the pangs of sadness when he ended his sojourn on June 25, 1886.
He returned to Heidelberg, carrying with him beautiful memories of the Ullmer friendship and
hospitality. The following day he wrote to Pastor Ullmer expressing his gratitude. Later, on May
29, 1887, Rizal wrote from Munich (Muchen) to Friedrich (Fritz), son of Pastor Ullmer.
First Letter to Blumentritt
 On July 31, 1886, Rizal wrote his first letter in German (which he had improved after his stay
with the Ullmers) to Professor Ferdinand Blumentritt, Director of the Ateneo of Leitmeritz,
Austria. He had heard of this Austrian ethnologist and his interest in Philippine languages. With
the letter, Rizal sent the book which he mentioned. That book was entitled Aritmetica
(Arithmetic) and was published in two languages - Spanish and Tagalog - by the University of
Santo Tomas Press in 1868. The author was Rufino Baltazar Hernandez, a native of Santa Cruz.
Laguna. Rizal's letter from Heidelberg impressed Blumentritt, who reciprocated by sending Rizal
a gift of two books. It marked the beginning of their long and frequent correspondence, also of
their friendship that lasted all their lives. Blumentritt, the Austrian, became the best friend of
Rizal, the Filipino.

Fifth Centenary of Heidelberg University

 Rizal was fortunate to be sojourning in Heidelberg when the famous University of Heidelberg
held its fifth centenary celebration on August 5, 1886. It was three days before his departure,
and he was sad because he had come to love the beautiful city and its hospitable people. He
following entry on his diary dated August 6. 1886 describes the celebration of the fifth
centenary of the famous University of Heidelberg.

In Leipzig and Dresden

 On August 9, 1886, three days after the fifth centenary celebration of the University of
Heidelberg, Rizal left the city. He boarded a train, visited various cities of Germany, and arrived
in Leipzig on August 14, 1886. He attended some lectures at the University of Leipzig on history
and psychology. He befriended Professor Friedrich Ratzel, a famous German historian, and Dr.
Hans Meyer, German anthropologist. In Leipzig, Rizal translated Schiller's William Tell from
German into Tagalog so that Filipinos might know the story of that champion of Swiss
independence. Later, he also translated into Tagalog for his nephews and nieces Hans Christian
Andersen's Fairy Tales. Rizal found out that the cost of living in Leipzig was cheapest in Europe
so that he stayed two months and a half in this German city. On October 29, he left Leipzig for
Dresden, where he met Dr. Adolph B. Meyer, Director of the Anthropological and Ethnological
Museum. He stayed two days in the city. He heard Mass in a Catholic church. In the morning of
November 1, Rizal left Dresden by train, reaching Berlin in the evening.

Rizal Welcomed in Berlin's Scientific Circles

 Rizal was enchanted by Berlin because of its scientific atmosphere and the absence of race
prejudice. In this city, he came in contact with great scientists. He 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. Jagor visited the
Philippines in 1859-60, before Rizal was born. In this book (published in Berlin 1873), he
foretold the downfall of Spanish rule in the Philip pines and the coming of America to Philippine
 shores. Rizal had a letter of introduction by Blumentritt for him. Dr. Jagor, in turn, introduced
Rizal to Dr. Rudolf Virchow, famous German anthropologist, and the latter's son, Dr. Hans
Virchow, professor of Descriptive Anatomy. Rizal also met Dr. W. Joest, noted German
geographer. He worked in the clinic of Dr. Karl Ernest Schweigger, (1830-1905) famous German
ophthalmologist. Rizal became a member of the Anthropological Society, the Ethnological
Society, and the Geographical Society Berlin, upon recommendation of Dr. Jagor and Dr.
Meyer. His membership in these scientific societies proved that his scientific knowledge was
recognized by Europe's scientists. He was the first Asian to be accorded such honors. Dr.
Virchow, who recognized Rizal's genius, invited the latter to give a lecture before the
Ethnographic Society of Berlin. In response to Virchow's invitation, Rizal wrote a scholarly paper
in German, entitled Tagalische Verkunst (Tagalog Metrical Art) which he read before the
society in April 1887. This paper was published by the society in the same year, and it elicited
favorable comments from all scientific quarters.

Rizal's Life in Berlin

 In Berlin, Rizal was not a mere student or a curious tourist. He lived in this famous capital of
unified Germany for five reasons: (1) to gain further knowledge of ophthalmology. (2) to further
his studies of sciences and languages, (3) to observe the economic had political conditions of the
German nation, (4) to associate with famous German scientists and scholars, and (5) to publish
his novel, Noli Me Tangere. Rizal led a methodical and frugal life in Berlin. By day, he worked as
an assistant in the clinic of Dr. Schweigger, eminent German opthalmologist. At night, he
attended lectures in the University of Berlin. At his boarding house, he kept himself in physical
trim by daily exercises and practised speaking German, French, and Italian. He wanted to master
French so that he may be able to write it as well as in Spanish. He took private lessons under a
professor of French, Madame Lucie Cerdole in order to master the idiomatic intricacies of the
French language. Aside from perfecting his academic studies, he performed daily exercises in a
Berlin gymnasium to develop his body.

Rizal on German Women

 One of his important letters written while he was in Germany was that addressed to his sister,
Trinidad, dated March 11, 1886. In this letter, Rizal expressed his high regard and admiration
for German womanhood. The German woman, said Rizal to his sister, is serious, 10 diligent,
educated, and friendly. She is not gossipy, frivolous, and quarrelsome like the Spanish woman.
She is not particular about beautiful dresses and expensive jewelry, though she could dress
nicely like any other woman in the world. Rizal regretted that in the Philippines, the women are
more interested in how they dress than in how much they know. He praised, however, the
delicacy of feeling, the fine manners, devotion, and hospitality of the Filipino women, especially
those in the provinces who are not yet sophisticated. Accordingly, Rizal advised his sister,
Trinidad.
German Customs
 Aside from the German women. Rizal admired the German customs which he observed well. It
must be noted that he was a keen observer of the customs of the peoples in all the countries he
visited. The Christmas custom of the Germans delighted him most. Another interesting German
custom observed by Rizal is self-introduction to strangers in a social gathering. In Germany.
when a man attends a social function and finds that there is nobody to introduce him to the
other guests, he bows his head to the guests, introduces himself and shakes the hands of
everyone in the room. According to the German code of etiquette, it is bad manners for a guest
to remain aloof, and wait for his host or hostess to make the proper introduction.

Rizal's Darkest Winter

Rizal spent winters in many temperate countries. The winter of 1886 in Berlin was his darkest winter.
During this bleak winter, he lived in poverty because no money arrived from Calamba and he was flat
broke. The diamond ring which his sister, Saturnina, gave him was in the pawnshop. He could not pay
his landlord. He bad to scrimp, eating only one meal a day. And that daily meal consisted of bread and
water or some cheap vegetable soup. His clothes were old and threadbare. He washed them' himself
because he could not afford to pay the laundry. Out in far-away Calamba, Paciano tried desperately to
raise money. He knew his younger brother was in a dire financial situation in Berlin. But the crops had
failed due to the ravages of the locusts. The sugar market collapsed. Time was of the essence, but poor
Paciano was delayed in raising the necessary funds. Meanwhile, Rizal starved in Berlin and shivered
with wintry cold. His health broke down due to lack of proper nourishment. He began to cough, and he
feared that he was going to be sick with tuberculosis. Never had he suffered such physical blows of
penury, so that his soul cried out in despair.