II
RIZAL’S NETWORKS IN FRANCE
Figure 34. Juan Luna, “La Parisienne”. Rizal is among the three Filipinos seated at the background of the painting. (GSIS Collection)
A.
LIFE IN FRANCE
Living in Paris was not so easy for José Rizal, whose income was
already barely sufficient even before the eviction of the Mercados from Calamba. It became even more problematic thereafter, especially as Paris was the most expensive capital of Europe at that time. The cost of living in Berlin was about three times cheaper which would explain why Rizal stayed longer in Germany than in France, and spent much more time in Spain. Since the cost of accommodation increased by fifty percent during the Paris 1889 World Exposition,71 Rizal had to stay with Valentin Ventura in October 1889.72 Most French people were totally ignorant of the Philippines. In Marseilles in 1882, Rizal was routinely mistaken for an American, a Chinese, or a Japanese.73 Similar mishaps occurred in 1883: during 71
DISCOV _INT PP 050719.indd 83
5/7/19 8:48:21 PM
