RIZAL’S TRAVEL

(And Those Women Who Linked In

His Life)
Childhood Travels
 Just like on any ventures there has to be a place to start, in his travel is his
hometown Calamba, a town our hero loved so much. At Calamba, taking
walks in the night when there was a moon takes Rizal in great pleasure.

 On June 6, 1868- With his father, he left Calamba to fulfill the vow of her
mother to the virgin of the province when Jose was born.

 It was the first trip of our hero traversing Laguna de Bay and his pilgrimage
to Antipolo. They rode then a Casco (a barge), which was also his first time.

 After their trip at the Virgin of Antipolo, Rizal and Don Francisco pursued to
Manila to visit Saturnina, who was then a boarding student at La Concordia
College in Santa Ana. They went back to Calamba eventually.
 Schooling in Biñan

 June, 1869- he left Calamba for Biñan. He was accompanied by his

brother Paciano, They rode in a carromata.

 December 17, 1870- He left Biñan on a Saturday afternoon. During his

trip in the steamer Talim, which he was very excited about, he met a
Frenchman which was a friend of his father who took care of him.
Schooling at Ateneo de Manila

 After the martyrdom of Gom-Bur-Za, Jose went to Manila to study. He

studied at Ateneo Municipal.

 March of 1873- Rizal returned to Calamba for it was summer vacation. 

He then visited his mother who was in prison during that time and was
gladly embraced by his mother.

 When the vacation ended, Rizal returned to Manila for his second year
term in Ateneo.

 During his third year in Ateneo, he received the news that his mother
was released from prison.

 And during his fourth year, he became an interno in Ateneo. One of his
professors Fr. Francisco de Paula Sanchez inspired Rizal to study harder
and to write poetry. His schooling ended at 1877 wherein he graduated
with highest honors in all his subjects.
Medical Studies at University of Santo Tomas

 Through his stay in UST, he was experienced the brutality of a

Spanish officer, fell in love with Miss L, and wrote ‘To the Filipino
Youth’.

 May 1881- Rizal went on a pilgrimage to the town of Pakil, famous

shrine of the Birhen Maria de los Dolores. He was accompanied by
his sisters and their female friends. They took a Casco from Calamba
to Pakil, Laguna. Rizal and his companions were fascinated by the
famous turumba, the people dancing in the streets during the
procession in honor of the miraculous Birhen Maria de los Dolores.
MAY 1,1882- rizal began writing farewell letters to his friends and family
• Paciano gave him money for his allowance
• Saturnina gave him a diamond ring

MAY 3, 1882- RIZAL LEFT FOR THE Philippines for the first time to spain
boarded on the SS Salvadora bound using a passport of Jose Mercado.

MAY 9, 1882- SS Salvadora docked in Singapore and stayed in Hotel dela

Paz for two days.

In Singapore, Rizal transferred to another ship Djemnah, a French streamer,

which left Singapore for Europe on May 11, 1882
MAY 17, 1882- Rizal
arrived at Punta de Gales to
go Colombo and rizal wrote
his diary: “the general
appearance of Punta de
Gales is picturesque but
lonely and quiet at the same
time sad”.
MAY 27, 1882- he landed at Aden, Yemen at about 8:30
am. He made observation at that time. Aden is a city hotter than
manila. Rizal was amused to see the camels, for the first time.

JUNE 2, 1882- He arrived at the Suez Canal en route to

Marseilles. Rizal was impressed in the beautiful moonlight which
reminded him of Calamba and his family

JUNE 11, 1882- rizal embarked and accompanied by a

guide, went around the City of Naples for one hour. This was the
first European ground he set foot on.

Rizal was pleased on this Italian City because of its business

activity, its lively people and its panoramic beauty
JUNE 11, 1882- rizal embarked
and accompanied by a guide, went
around the City of Naples for one
hour. This was the first European
ground he set foot on.
Rizal was pleased on this Italian City
because of its business activity, its
lively people and its panoramic
beauty
JUNE 12, 1882- At 10 o’clock in the evening,
the boat anchored at Marseilles. He slept in board.
Rizal visited the famous Chateau d’If, where
Dantes, a hero of the Count of Monte Cristo was
imprisoned. Rizal stayed two and a half days in
Marseilles.
JUNE 16, 1882- At 12 noon, Rizal
arrived at Barcelona and boarded in
the Fonda De Espana. Rizals first
impression of Barcelona, the largest
city of cataluna and Spains second
largest city is favorable.
Life in Barcelona

He wrote an essay entitled “Armor Patrio” (Love of Country)

His next article was entitled “Los Viajes”(travels) and followed by

“Revista de Madrid” (Review of Madrid) but the letter was returned
because the publication was ceased because of lack of funds.

AUGUST 20, 1882- His article “Armor Patrio” was published in

Diariong Tagalog, a Manila newspaper edited by Basilio Teodoro.
This was the first article he wrote abroad.
Amor Patrio (Love of Country)-
nationalistic essay, Rizals first article written
on Spain’s soil. Under his pen-name Laong
Laan. It was published in two texts
Spanish & Tagalog.

The Spanish text was the one originally

written by Rizal in Barcelona, the Tagalog text
was a Tagalog translation made by Marcelo
H. del Pilar.
SEPTEMBER 2,1882- Rizal moved
heading to Madrid in order to continue his
Medical studies.
NOVEMBER 3, 1882- Rizal enrolled at
the UNIVERSIDAD CENTRAL de MADRID. In
two courses- MEDICINE & PHILOSOPHY and
LETTERS.
LIFE IN MADRID
Academy of Fine Arts of San
Fernando- Rizal studied painting and
sculpture

He took lessons in French & German under

private instructors
He practiced fencing and shooting at The
Hall Of Arms In Sanz Y Carbonell.
Rizal joined the Circulo-Hispano filipino. It
is an association formed by Filipino students in
Spain composed of both Filipinos and
Circulo-Hispano
Spaniards.
Mi Piden Versos (They Ask Me for
Filipino.
Verses)- upon the members of this society,
rizal wrote this poem which he personally
declaimed during the New Years Eve reception
held in the evening of DECEMBER 21, 1882.
MARCH 18, 1883- He joined the
Masonic Lodge called acacia. His reason for
was to secure Freemasonry’s aid in his fight
for the Philippines.
NOVEMBER 1883- He transferred to
lodge Solidaridad, where he become a Master
Mason.
PARIS TO BERLIN

After completing his studies in Spain, Rizal went to Paris and Germany
for his specialization in ophthalmology. He chose this course of
medicine because he wanted to cure his mother’s growing eye
ailment.

He worked as an apprentice of Dr. Louis de Weckert, who is a then, a

leading French ophthalmologist. And with his master, his knowledge in
ophthalmology improved.

While not working at Dr. Weckert’s clinic, Rizal visited his friends, such
as the family of Pardo de Taveras, Juan Luna and Felix Resurreccion,
Hidalgo.

Rizal spent many happy hours in the studio of Luna. Luna discussed
with Rizal various problems on art and improved his own painting
technique. Rizal posed to some painting of Luna. He was one of the
Egyptian priests in Luna’s painting “The Death of Cleopatra”.
At Heidelberg
February 1, 1886- Rizal left Paris to Germany and on February
3, 1886, he arrived in Heidelberg, a historic city in Germany
famous for its old university and romantic surroundings. 

He worked at the University Eye Hospital under the direction of

Dr. Otto Becker and attended the lectures of Doctor Becker and
Prof. Wilhelm Kuehne at the university.
Leipzig and Dresden
On August 9, 1886- Rizal left the city. He boarded a train
and visited various cities of Germany until arriving in Leipzig on
August 14, 1886..

Cost of living in Leipzig is the cheapest in Europe so he stayed

there for two months and a half.

Dresden- Rizal left Leipzig to set course on Dresden on

October 29, 1886. At Dresden, Rizal met Dr. Adolph Meyer, the
director of the Anthropological and Ethnological Museum. He
stayed only two days in the city

Morning of November 1, Rizal left Dresden by train

reaching Berlin in the evening.
Grand Tour of Europe
At dawn of May 11, 1887- Rizal and Viola left
Berlin by train going to Dresden, “One of the best
cities in Germany”.

“Prometheus Bound”- the painting

Rizal was deeply impressed.

Teschen -was their next stop over after leaving

Dresden.
Blumentritt and Leitmeritz
At 1:30 p.m. of May 13, 1887, the train with Rizal and Viola on board arrived
at the railroad station of Leitmeritz, Bohemia. For the first time, Rizal and
Blumentritt met each other.

History City of Prague

Rizal andViola visited the city of Prague.

Rizal and Viola visited the tomb of Copernicus, the museum of natural history,
the bacteriological laboratories.

After their stay at the home of the Willkomms, Rizal and Viola left Prague and
went to Brunn.
Queen of the Danube
May 20- Rizal and Viola arrived in the beautiful Vienna. The two stayed at Hotel Metropole.

LINTZ
May 24- Rizal and Viola left Vienna on a river boat to see the beautiful sights of the Danube
Rivera.

To Rheinfall, To Salzburg, To Munich & Nuremberg

• They traveled overland to Salzburg and from there to Munich where they sojourned for a
short time to savor the famous Munich beer, reputed to be the best in Germany.
• From Munich they went to Nuremberg.
• After Munich, they visited Ulm.
• From Ulm, they went to Stuttgart, Baden and then Rheinfall- At Rheinfall, they saw the
waterfall which was the most beautiful waterfall of Europe.
Switzerland
June 1887- They crossed the frontier to Schaffhausen,
Switzerland and stayed from June 2-3.

On June 19, 1887- it was Rizal’s 26th birthday and treated

Viola to a blow-out. Rizal and Viola spent fifteen days in
Geneva.

On June 23, they parted ways. Viola decided to return to

Barcelona while Rizal continued his tour to Italy.

Rizal and Viola left on a little boat, crossing the foggy Leman
Lake to Geneva.
ITALY
On June 27, 1887- he reached Rome. He was thrilled by the
sights and memories of the Eternal City—Rome.

On June 29th, Rizal visited for the first time the Vatican, the
“City of the Popes” and the capital Christendom.

Every night, after sightseeing the whole day, Rizal returned to his hotel,
very tired.

After a week of staying in Rome, he prepared to return to the

Philippines. He had already written to his father that he was coming
home.
First Homecoming
on July 3, 1887- he boarded the steamer Djemnah .The steamer was enroute to the
Orient via the Suez Canal.

On July 30- he transferred to another steamer in Saigon to steamer Haiphong which was
bound to Manila.

On August 2- the steamer left Saigon for Manila.

Arrival at Manila
On August 5- the Haiphong arrived in Manila.

Home in Calamba
On August 8- he returned to Calamba.
Farewell Again
in February 3, 1888- Rizal left Calamba to Hong Kong on board of Zafiro.
Hong Kong
February 1888- This was the start of Rizal’s second travel. He arrived in Hong Kong on
February 8.
In Hong Kong, Rizal stayed at Victoria Hotel.

Macao
On February 18- Rizal accompanied by Basa, boarded the ferry steamer Kiu-Kiang for Macao.
Rizal described Macao as a small, low and gloomy.

On February 20, Rizal and Basa returned to Hong Kong on board the ferry steamer Kiu-
Kiang.

February 22, 1888- Rizal left Hong Kong on board the Oceanic
JAPAN
February 28 to April 13, 1888- He stayed in Japan for one month and a half
from
He also fell in love with a Japanese girl, who loveliness infused joy and romance in his
sorrowing heart.

February 28, 1888- Rizal arrived at Yokohama and stayed in the Grand Hotel.

On March 2 to 7- he moved to Tokyo and took a room at the Tokyo Hotel where he
stayed from.

Sayonara Japan and Seiko Usui

 Rizal met a pretty Japanese girl. Her name was Seiko Usui. He affectionately called
her O-Sei-San.

 Rizal’s great love for Seiko Usui and Japan will be memories that he will always
cherish, but it was his time to go.
 On April 13, 1888- Rizal boarded the Belgic, an English steamer, at
Yokohama, bound for the United States. His sojourn in Japan for 45
days was one of the happiest interludes of his life.

Visit to the United States

Rizal first saw America on April 28, 1888. His arrival was marred by racial
prejudice for he saw the discriminatory treatment of the Chinese and the
Negroes by the white Americans.

Rizal’s trip to America started on April 28, 1888 to May 16, 1888.
San Francisco
April 28, 1888- The steamer Belgic docked at the San Francisco on Saturday
morning.

On Friday afternoon, May 4, 1888- he was permitted to go ashore and then he

registered for a room at the Palace Hotel. Rizal stayed in San Francisco for two days
from May 4 to 6.

On May 6- Rizal left San Francisco for Oakland- nine miles across San Francisco Bay
by ferry boat. On May 7, he awoke and had a good breakfast at Reno, Nevada.

On May 8- Rizal was in the state of Utah. From Ogden, they went to Denver.

On May 9- they were passing through the mountains and rocks along the river. They
woke up at Colorado, which he described as a state with a lot of trees.
On May 10- they arrived at Nebraska then to Omaha, which was a big city. They passed the Missouri
River and arrived at Illinois.

On May 11- they arrived at Chicago. He observed that every store in Chicago are selling cigars and has
Indian figures.

May 12 -they arrived at Wagner Car which he described as beautiful and well populated. They arrived at
the English territory in the afternoon, and saw the Niagara Falls. They had a stop over to see some sights and
went to the side below the Niagara Falls.

On May 13- they arrived at Albany which was a big city. The Hudson River runs along and carries many
boats. The sights here were beautiful although more solitary than those of Pasig.

May 13, at 11:00 A.M.- The grand transcontinental trip ended on Sunday. He stayed three days in
this city.

On May 16, 1888- he left New York on board the City of Rome. He was onboard in a steamer which
was “the second largest ship in the world”—the Great Eastern.
Once Again in London
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, which he heard to be available in the British
Museum and

3.    London was a safe place from the attacks of Spanish tyranny.

Across the Atlantic

The trans-Atlantic voyage was a pleasant one. He won many friends of different nationalities on board the
palatial City of Rome because of his ability as linguist. Rizal entertained the passengers with his marvelous
skill with the yo-yo. He used it as an offensive weapon instead of a toy.

Rizal arrived at Liverpool, England on May, 1888.- He stayed one day in Liverpool spending the night at
Adelphi Hotel. He described it as a big and beautiful city.
Life in London
On May 25, 1888- Rizal went to London. For a short time,
he stayed at the home of Dr. Antonio Ma. Regidor– a lawyer in
London.

Gertrude Beckette, Rizal's Love Interlude in London. He

spent his Sundays at the house of Dr. Rost, the librarian of the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and an authority on Malayan languages
and customs.

September of 1888- he visited Paris for a week for him to

search for more historical materials in the Bibliotheque Nationale.
 
On December 11, 1888- he went to Spain visiting Madrid
and Barcelona. For the first time, he met Marcelo H. Del Pilar and
Mariano Ponce.
On March 19, 1889- Rizal bade goodbye to the Beckett family and left London for Paris. He
was sad as he crossed the English Channel for he cherished many beautiful memories in London.

Universal Exposition of 1889

 
Rizal went to Paris on the spring of 1889.  

December 25, 1889- Rizal celebrated his Christmas in Paris. They prepared a Christmas
dinner with friend chicken, rice and vegetables.
 
Shortly after the New Year, Rizal made a short visit to London. His purpose may be because he
wants to see Gertrude Beckette for the last time, and check up his annotated edition of
Morga’s Sucesos.
 
By the mid of January 1890- he was back in Paris.
 
Belgian Brussels
 
On January 28, 1890- Rizal left Paris for Brussels. Rizal was
accompanied by Jose Albert when he moved to Brussels. They lived in a
boarding house on Philippe Champagne
 
 Rizal also received letters from home that worries him. The Calamba
agrarian trouble was getting worse. The management of the Dominican
hacienda continually raised the land rents. In the face of the sufferings
which afflicted his family, Rizal planned to go home. He could not stay in
Brussels writing a book while his family was being persecuted.
 
Rizal ignored the warning of his friends and did not change his plans.
 
But there are some things that cheered Rizal’s life. One was the
summertime festival of Belgium. Second was his romance with Petite
Jacoby, the pretty niece of his landladies.
 
MADRID
In August 1890- Rizal arrived in Madrid- Rizal’s life in Madrid could be described as
full of misfortunes.
Biarritz
 
Rizal took a vacation in the resort city of Biarritz on the fabulous French Riviera. He was
the guest of the Boustead family. It was in Biarritz where he had finished the last
chapter of his second novel, El Filibusterismo.
 
Rizal was in-love with Nellie Boustead- a daughter of the Boustead family.

With the encouragement of his close friends, Rizal courted Nelly, who in turn,
reciprocated his affection. Rizal had plans of marrying Nellie, but failed. Nelly wanted
Rizal to espouse Protestantism before their marriage.
 
On March 30, 1891- Rizal proceeded to Paris by train. Rizal retired from the
Propaganda Movement and retired also from La Solidaridad.
 
In Brussels Rizal worked day after day revising the finished manuscript of El
Filibusterismo and readied it for printing.
  

Ghent
 
On July 5, 1891- Rizal left Brussels for Ghent a famous university city in Belgium. He stayed
at Ghent because the cost of printing is cheaper.
 
After his arrival, Rizal searched for the printing shop that could give him the lowest quotation
for the publication of his novel. He found out that F. Meyer-Van Loo Press was willing to print his
book on installment basis. He pawned all his jewels to pay the down payment and early partial
payments. He had received money from Basa and 200 pesos from Arias for the copies of
Morga’s Sucesos which were sold in Manila.
 
Ventura learned of Rizal’s predicament and immediately sent him the necessary funds. With his
financial aid, the printing of Fili was resumed. The El Filibusterismo was dedicated to the
martyrdom of the Gom-Bur-Za.
  
Hong Kong
 
Rizal left Europe for Hong Kong He lived there from November, 1891 to June
1892.
 
On October 18, 1891- Rizal boarded the steamer Melbourne in Marseilles
bound for Hong Kong
•  Rizal described his trip as “heavenly”.  
November 20, 1891- Rizal arrived in Hong Kong
 
Christmas of 1891 -he was gladdened by the arrival of his father, brother and
Silvestre Ubaldo in Hong Kong. Not long afterwards, his mother and sisters Lucia,
Josefa and Trinidad also arrived.

 
Rizal also practiced his ophthalmology in Hong Kong. There he became a well-known
medical practitioner.
  
Second Homecoming
 
In May, 1892- Rizal made up his mind to return to Manila. He gave two letters, which were sealed and inscribed
on it “to be opened after my death”, to his friend Dr. Marques for safekeeping.
 
At noon of June 26, 1892- Rizal and his sister Lucia arrived in Manila. He stayed in Hotel de Oriente which was
facing the church of Binondo.
 
June 27- Rizal boarded a train in Tutuban Station and visited his friends. And on Wednesday July 6, Rizal went to
Malacañan Palace to resume his series of interviews. The governor general presented him some printed leaflets
(Pobres Frailes) which were allegedly found in Lucia’s pillow cases. Rizal denied having those leaflets because they
were thoroughly searched upon their arrival from Hong Kong and was found clean. Despite his denial and insistent
demand for investigation he was placed under arrest and escorted to Fort Santiago.
 
July 15, 1892- Rizal was brought to the steamer Cebu which was sailing for Dapitan. On the 17th of July, Rizal
was handed over to Captain Ricardo Carnicero, the commandant of Dapitan. His exile in Dapitan.
Dapitan
 
Rizal stayed in Dapitan for a period of four years. He was
suppose to live in the Jesuit Church but insisted on living
in the house of Captain Carnicero.
  
Rizal had a relationship with Josephine Bracken. They first
met when Josephine accompanied his father to the clinic
of Rizal. Their relationship lasted for one month until they
decided to marry. The two lived happily in Dapitan. They
had a son, but only lived for three hours.
 
On July 31, 1896- Rizal’s exile in Dapitan came to an end.
Rizal, together, with Josephine, Narcisa, Angelica and his
three nephews and six pupils boarded the steamer
España. Almost all the Dapitan townies were at the shore
and bid him goodbye.
  Last Trip Abroad
August 1- Rizal anchored at Dumaguete. He visited some friends and former classmates. At 1:00 p.m. España left
Dumaguete and reached Cebu the following morning. Rizal was fascinated by the entrance of Cebu.
 
On August 3- Rizal left Cebu and continued to Iloilo. Then sailed to Capiz and towards to Romblon until proceeding to
Manila.
 
On September 2- Rizal was transferred to the steamer Isla de Panay which was sailing for Barcelona, Spain. The next
morning the steamer left Manila Bay.

Evening of September 7 the steamer arrived at Singapore

 
 
At the same day, the steamer anchored at Malta but he was not able to land. He saw through a small window.
 
October 3- the Isla de Panay arrived in Barcelona, with Rizal as prisoner on board. Rizal was kept under heavy guard in
his cabin for 3 days.

On October 4, Rizal noticed the city’s celebration of the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi. At 3:00 a.m. of October 6, Rizal
was escorted to the prison-fortress named Monjuich. After his stay at Monjuich, he was transferred to a ship named
Colon. Rizal was aboard the Colon which was full of soldiers and officers. On October 6, 8:00 p.m., the ship left Barcelona.
October 3- the Isla de Panay arrived in Barcelona, with Rizal as prisoner on board. Rizal was kept
under heavy guard in his cabin for 3 days.

On October 4, Rizal noticed the city’s celebration of the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi. At 3:00
a.m. of October 6, Rizal was escorted to the prison-fortress named Monjuich. After his stay at
Monjuich, he was transferred to a ship named Colon. Rizal was aboard the Colon which was full of
soldiers and officers. On October 6, 8:00 p.m., the ship left Barcelona.

Last Homecoming
 
On November 3- the Colon reached Manila, where it was greeted by the Spaniards and the
friars because it bought more soldiers and supplies. Rizal then was transferred from the ship to Fort
Santiago.
1. SEGUNDA KATIGBAK
• Many historians claim that Segunda Katigbak was Rizal's "puppy love".
Coming from a wealthy clan in Lipa, Katigbak was a close friend of
Rizal's sister, Olympia Mercado.
 
• Katigbak was just 14 years old when she met Rizal who was then 16. In
Rizal's writings, he described Katigbak as:

“May mga matang kung minsan ay makislap at nangungusap, may ngiting

nakagagayuma… Hindi siya ang pinakamagandang babeng nakita ko,
ngunit hindi ako nakasilay kailanman nang higit na kaakit-akit.

• Rizal and Katigbak did not end up together. The former was not able to
confess his true feelings and Segunda was promised to Manuel Luz Y
Metra, a member of a wealthy family in Lipa.
2. LEONOR VALENZUELA
• Among Rizal's long list of ex-lovers is Leonor "Orang" Valenzuela,
who met Rizal when he was still studying a medical course at the
esteemed  University of Santo Tomas. 

• Valenzuela was the next-door neighbour of Rizal when he stayed in

the house of Doña Concha Leyva in Intramuros. Even without a
special occasion, Rizal would always visit Valenzuela's home and
impress her family with his cleverness and sleight-of-hand tricks.

• Rizal was strongly attached to Valenzuela and pursued her by sending

love letters with invisible ink that one can only read when it is heated
over a candle or lamp. The ink is a mixture of substances that he
learned from his chemistry class.
•  
• Rumour has it that Rizal used the invisible ink because he was
courting Leonor Rivera at the time. 
3. LEONOR RIVERA
• The 13-year-old Leonor Rivera met the 18-year-old Rizal at
the boarding house of Rizal's uncle in Intramuros. Rivera was
described  by Rizal as a charming woman with a beautiful
singing voice and good piano skills.

• Despite having a strong and fruitful bond, Rivera and Rizal

faced two problems: the two were second cousins and their
family disapproved of their relationship. Rivera's parents did
not approve of their relationship, saying that Rizal was a
filibuster or a freebooter.

• Rizal's brother Paciano Rizal, on the other hand, disagreed

with the idea of Rizal marrying Rivera; he said that it would
be unfair to Leonor if he were to leave her behind after
exchanging vows.
• The two wanted their relationship to prosper. They tried to continue sending each other love letters, a lot of
which were kept hidden by Rivera's mother. In 1890, Rivera wrote to Rizal saying that she was already
engaged to Henry Kipping, a British engineer who helped build the Manila-Dagupan Railway system in the
same year.

• Some accounts
  claim that Rivera burned Rizal's letters to her, but she kept the ashes in the hem of her
wedding gown. When Rivera died during second childbirth, documents showed that Rizal did not speak for
days.
• Some historians believe that Rizal immortalised Rivera through Maria Clara's character in Noli Me Tangere.

 Here is a poem Rizal wrote for Rivera:

And so it has arrived — the fatal instant,
the dismal 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!
4. CONSUELO ORTIGA
• During Rizal's sojourn in Madrid, he met Consuelo Ortiga y Rey, the
daughter of then Manila mayor and vice president of the Council of
the Philippines in the Ministry of Colonies Don Pablo Ortiga y Rey.

 
• On 18 January 1883, Rey wrote in her diary: “Rizal talked with me
for a long time, almost the whole night. He told me that I was very
talented, that I was very diplomatic, and that he was going to see if he
could extract some truth from me within two weeks; that I was
mysterious and that I had a veil over my ideas.”

• Back in the Philippines, Rey had many suitors and among them were
Eduardo de Lete, a Philippine-born Spaniard who is also part of La
Solidaridad, and brothers Maximo and Antonio Paterno. Rizal grew
fond of Rey but he eventually gave up because was still in love with
Rivera. 
5. Seiko Usui
• O-Sei-San and Rizal met when the latter was still working at the
Spanish Legislation
  in Tokyo. Their friendship blossomed after
Rizal asked a gardener to introduce him to O-Sei-San who was
surprisingly fluent in English and French, two languages that Rizal
knew how to speak.
 
• In many accounts, it was written that Rizal almost moved to Japan
permanently to spend his remaining days with O-Sei-San; however,
Rizal's patriotic responsibilities kept him from doing this.

• Rizal moved to San Francisco and never met the Japanese woman
again. 
6. GERTRUDE BECKETT
• During Rizal's stay in London, he met the beautiful Gertrude
Beckett, the eldest daughter of Rizal's landlord—Charles
Beckett.  

• Beckett has poured most of her time and attention to Rizal,

assisting him in his famous sculptures, Prometheus Bound, a
sculpture that depicted Greek legend Prometheus who brought
fire to man; and The Triumph of Death over Life, a clay
sculpture that depicts a young, nude woman bearing a torch;
and The Triumph of Science Over Death.

• Despite having "pet names" for each other (Rizal calls Beckett
"Gettie", while Beckett calls Rizal "Pettie") the feelings Beckett
had for Rizal were not reciprocated. 
SUZANNE JACOBY
• Rizal was 29 years old when he first had a glimpse
of Belgian lady Suzanne Jacoby. In his six-month
stay in Brussels, he and Jacoby attended Belgium's
summertime festival of 1890 where multi-coloured
costumes and animated floats were very much
alive.
Below is an excerpt of Jacoby's letter to RizaL:
• In August 1890, Rizal left Belgium but he left the
young Jacoby a box of chocolates. which the latter “Where are you now? Do you think of me once in a
did not eat nor touch. Many historians believed that while? I am reminded of our tender conversations,
the affair was one-sided, evident in the letters sent reading your letter, although it is cold and indifferent.
by Jacoby to Rizal.  Here in your letter, I have something which makes up
for your absence. How pleased I would be to follow
you, to travel with you who are always in my
thoughts. You wish me all kinds of luck, but forget
that in the absence of a beloved one a tender heart
cannot feel happy.”
NELLIE BOUSTEAD
• When Rizal lost Rivera, he entertained the thought of
meeting and courting other ladies. When Rizal stayed as a
guest in the Boustead family, he befriended the two
daughters of his host, Eduardo Boustead.

• Rizal, together with Juan and Antonio Luna, used to fence

with the sisters. Antonio would often visit the Boustead’s and
courted Nellie but the latter was already infatuated with
Rizal. 

• Nellie and Rizal's love affair did not last. It failed because
Nellie demanded Rizal to convert to the Protestant faith but
he refused. Nellie's mother also frowns upon Rizal's
background, saying that she did not like a doctor without
enough paying clientele.