9 February 1886

Heidelberg

9 February, 1886

MY DEAR PARENTS AND BR0T11ERS,

As I announced to you in my previous letter, I left for Paris on Monday, the 1st of February, and I came to Germany. I stopped one day at Strasbourg. Aviscourt[1] is the last town on the Franco-German frontier and upon crossing this one notes that he is in a new country, for everywhere one sees only uniforms, militarism, throughout Germany the railroad employees being all military men. From France snow accompanied me on the way, that is, from Nancy until Wilwisheim. until I reached Strasbourg, I couldn’t understand well anyone, for although they almost all spoke French and German, nevertheless the German confuse the v with the f, b with p, d with t in such a way that the French spoken by them seem to be disguised German. The geese announced to me that I was nearing Strasbourg, the city of the foie gras, a delicacy made of the fat or swollen liver of geese of which much is sold.

Strasbourg is now the capital of Alsace and Lorraine or Elsass and Lothringen, as the Germans say. It is a gloomy city despite its commerce. Everywhere can be seen the vestiges of the bombardment of 1870, here a bullet, over there a cracked wall, farther on a destroyed tower of a fortress, a hole, a helmet encased in hard granite.

The inhabitants take pleasure in showing the city [to] travelers. As was to be expected, I visited the famous cathedral and I climbed up its tower 142 meters high, the fourth in height, if I’m not mistaken, of the towers in Europe. I climbed up 500 steps until the platform from which can be seen almost the whole Rhine valley, the Black Forest, the Vosges, etc. This tower suffered no less during the bombardment, but it has been repaired. There is a very notable thing inside the cathedral and it is the most complicated mechanism of a clock which is built to run for a long time, being self-winding. It is the second reconstruction of a clock of the 13th century.[2] In a corner of the square there is an old wooded house said to be Gutenberg’s. Strasbourg as well as the other towns I have seen are full of soldiers. I observed that many people greet me on the way and at every moment I was obliged to lift up my hat.

From Strasbourg I came directly to Heidelberg, and although I passed near the famous Baden, I didn’t stop, for considering the state of my purse, it was not prudent to make so many stops. Moreover, Baden is for pleasure, especially in summer. Beside my 2nd class compartment was a 1st class one occupied by a Russian prince and princess. Every time they went down the train coach they were rendered military honors. Germany is a country of great order and subordination

I arrived at Heidelberg on Wednesday, at half past two in the afternoon. The town seemed to me gay; on the streets are seen only students with red, yellow, white, blue caps of leather, etc. They say that the students belonging to different corporations fight one another for fun. When they fight, they have all the parts of the body covered except the face and the eyes are protected with goggles of steel mesh so that the head and the cheeks are the most exposed. They use a very sharp saber with which they fight by raising the arm over the head. The German student has fine presence, tall, and is very robust. On the night of my arrival, wishing to obtain information about a good professor of ophthalmology, I inquired about the beerhall where students foregather, and I was directed to the Gulden Bierbraucrie. There in fact I found some eight or nine, with yellow caps, of the corporation Schwabe (Swabia). I introduced myself and in my semi-German I asked them. Instantly they stirred, asked one another, and gave me all the necessary information. They invited me to sit with them and drink beer. Because of my lack of practice in speaking German and not being accustomed to bear it, conversation was difficult; and because they hardly speak French, we resorted to Latin and we used this language part of the evening until one who knew French came. The majority of these who were there, eight out of ten, had the left cheek of large scars — there was one who had more than 15 and the one who spoke French with me had, besides eight or ten large scars, his head bandaged, for just a few days ago, he lost a portion of his scalp… The German student is kind, courteous, modest, and is not boastful. When he greets, he lifts up his cap entirely, throwing it forward. That night they didn’t let me pay at all for my beer for being a stranger and recently arrived, but next time I shall have to pay in accordance with the custom of each one paying for his own. When they drink, they have the custom of toasting the health of everyone saying, “Prosit!” or “Prost!” and holding forth the glass toward the person to whose health they are drinking. They invited me to join their society, but upon knowing that I couldn’t remain among them for a long time, they said it was useless, for it would be of no benefit to me. At least six months were necessary for probation and another six months to be admitted into it. These young men take a singular pleasure in making themselves look ugly, for there are among them some who really possess masculine beauty on one hand and on the other patched up skin. There was one who had already fought 54 times. Not all the students are members of these corporations.

Now I’m living in a boarding house. The cost of living is not as cheap as I expected, for room, food, service, and light cost me something like 28 pesos a month. Undoubtedly it is very much cheaper than in Paris, but it is not as I supposed, so that the money that I thought would last until the end of April will only suffice until the beginning of this month. It is very cold; there’s so much snowfall that it is necessary to keep the fire burning continuously lest one freeze. I live in a pretty good house; its owner is called Nebel; my neighbor is a young Englishman who came to study German. We speak in our semi-German and when we couldn’t understand each other we speak English. At mealtime German is spoken. Little by little I’m getting to understand it. As I intend to change house to see if I can find a cheaper one, it would be desirable that you address me thus:

Germany

HERR JOSEPH RIZAL

General Delivery

Heidelberg

Or better you write me at Paris. 65 Boulevard Arago, Luna’s atelier, for I don’t know how long I’m staying here.

As I have already told you, it would be better if you write me every fifteen days via the French mailboat, because it makes the trip faster. The drafts through the Chartered Bank, etc.

Heidelberg is in a valley between two mountains; on one side flows the Neckar across which are two stone bridges. Yesterday and before yesterday, many persons were skating on the frozen portion near the river. The mountains are covered with snow and in the afternoons could be seen many people strolling among the ruins of the celebrated castle that can be seen from my window. There is only one theater; there are four or five Catholic and Protestant churches and they say that one of them is used one half by Catholics and the other by the Protestants. German food is not disagreeable, only it is full of potatoes; For everything, potatoes, day and night. At night they serve tea with potatoes and cold meat. The majority of the women have studied French and they have a smattering of it. In general they are tall, big, not very blond though fairly so. They are very amiable and very sincere.

German lads are even less curious than the French. In Paris, for example, I still saw some lads looking at me curiously on account of my type, but here they pass me by without stopping. Sometimes I take hold of their head and turn it a little; they submit and then walk away without saying a word.

The waitress at the beerhall where I go is called Mina. She writes her language very well in accordance with orthography. We always talk to each other through writing for as my ears are not yet accustomed to the accentuation, I need to see the words written down. She writes her language in two ways, as she says: Lateinische and Deutsche; that is, in Latin and German characters. For example, Inseln Philippinen—lnfeln Pfilippinen. The German characters are the ones generally used.

I end this letter now and until the next mail.

Your son and brother who loves you sincerely,

RIZAL

My friend Valentin Ventura whom I owe many favors is going there. He lives in Dulumbayan Street. If you go to Manila, I would appreciate very much if you would call on him. It is better that you continue writing me in Paris, 65 Boulevard Arago, for, as I’m staying a short time here at Heidelberg, the letters may get lost.

04-143 [Misc.]