Rizal went to Europe to study ophthalmology after completing his studies in Madrid. In Berlin, he associated with prominent scientists and worked in an ophthalmology clinic. He lived frugally, attending lectures at the University of Berlin. During the winter of 1886, Rizal experienced extreme poverty in Berlin, unable to afford food or new clothes as money had not arrived from his family in the Philippines. His health deteriorated from lack of nourishment during this difficult time.

2.  After completing his studies in Madrid,
Rizal went to Paris and Germany in order
to specialize in ophthalmology. He
particularly chose this branch of medicine
because he wanted to cure his mother’s
eye ailment. He serve as assistant to the
famous oculists of Europe. He also
continued his travels and observations of
European life and customs, government and
laws in Paris, Heidelberg, Leipzig, and
Berlin.

3.  In Berlin, capital of then unified
Germany. He met and befriended
several top German scientists, Dr.
Feodor Jagor, Dr. Adolph B. Meyer,
Dr. Hans Meyer, and Dr. Rudolf
Virchow. His merits as a scientist were
recognized by the eminent scientists of
Europe.

8.  In Gay Paris (1885-86). Shortly after
terminating his studies at the Central
University of Madrid, Rizal, who was
then 24 years old and already a
physician, went to Paris in order to
acquire more knowledge in
ophthalmology.

9.  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 Senior Eusebio
Corominas, editor the newspaper La
Publicidad and made a crayon sketch of
Don Miguel Morayta, owner of La
Publicidad and statesman.

13.  Leading French ophthalmologist, 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. “with
respect to the study of the ailments of
the eyes,” he wrote, “I am doing well. I
know now how to perform all the
operations; I only need to know what is
going on inside the eye, which requires
much practice’’.

19.  Rizal as Musician
-music played an important part in all
Filipino reunions in Barcelona, Madrid,
Paris, and other cities of Europe. The
Filipino contemporaries of Rizal could
either play an instrument or sing.

20.  Especially in the home of the Pardo de
Taveras and in the Luna studio, every
reunion was enlivened with the playing
or singings of the kundimans and other
Philippine melodies.
 Rizal has no natural aptitude of music,
and this he admitted.

21.  But he studied music because many of
his schoolmates at the Ateneo were
taking music lessons.

22.  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.
 ‘’if you could hear me sing’’, he wrote to
Lete, ‘’you would wish you were in Spain
because my voice is like the braying of
the asses’’.

23.  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 and other German
border towns.

26.  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’’.

27.  The beautiful spring flowers reminded
him of the blooming flowers of 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’’.

28.  On July 31, 1886 Rizal wrote his first
letter in German to Professor Ferdinand
Blumentritt, Director of the Ateneo of
Leitmeritz, Austria. He had heard of
this Austrian ethnologist and his
interest in the Philippine languages.

29.  Rizal was fortunate to be sojourning I
heidelberg when the famous University
of Heidelberg held its fifth centenary
celebration on August 6, 1886.
 It was three days before his departure,
and he was sad because hr had come to
love the beautiful city and its hospitable
people.

30.  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.

32.  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.

33.  Dr. Jagor, in return, 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 ophthalmogist.

36.  In Berlin, Rizal was not a mere student
or a curious tourist. He lived in the
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,

37. 4. To associate with famous German
scientists and scholars, and
5. To publish his novel, Noli Me Tangere

38.  Rizal led a methodical and frugal life in
Berlin. By day, he worked as an
assistant in the clinic of Dr.
Schweigger, eminent German
ophthalmologist. At night, he attended
lectures in the University of Berlin.

39.  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.

40.  The German woman said Rizal to his
sister, is serious, 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.

41.  Rizal regretted that in the Philippines,
the woman 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 provices who are
not yet sophisticated.

42.  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.

43.  He spent his leisure moments touring
the country sides around Berlin,
observing keenly the customs, dresses,
homes and occupations of the peasants.
 He made sketches of the things he saw.
 He also enjoyed promenading along
Unter den Linden, the most popular
boulevard of Berlin, sipping beer in the
city’s inns, and talking with the friendly
Berliners.

44.  Another interesting German custom
observed by Rizal is Self-introduction
to strangers in a social gathering.
 In Germany when a mans attends a
social function and finds that there is
to the guests, introduces himself and
shakes the hands of everyone in the
room.

45.  According to the German code of
etiquette, it is bad manners for a
guests to remain aloof, and wait for his
host or hostess to make the proper
introduction.

46.  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.

47.  The diamond ring which his sister,
Saturnina, gave him was in the pawnshop.
He could not pay his landlord.
 He had 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.

48.  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.

49.  The sugar market collapsed. The time
was 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.

50.  He began to cough, and he feared that
he was going to be sick with
tubercolosis.
 Never had he suffered such physical
blows of penury, so that his soul cried
out out in despair.