Rizal in Belgium: Day Tour

Posted on the 15 October 2013 by Desiree Munoz @createpinoy
This serves as an open invitation to anybody out there who is interested to travel back in time and see places where our National Hero, Jose Rizal, once were. Let's explore the neighborhood of his apartments in Belgium and imagine the circumstances of Rizal's life during his time in the country. 
Rizal in year 1879 en route to Europe. I will be writing an article about Jose Rizal for the winter issue of Roots and Wings magazine coming out in December 2013. Coincidentally, I live in the same town where Rizal lived in 1891 - Ghent, Belgium. So I thought, why not visit the places where Jose Rizal left his indelible traces hundreds of years ago? That would be fun! And so I will and I'd love some company. Are you in Belgium? Planning to come soon? Then you! Yes you! Come and join me!
The itinerary:
  • Rizal's apartment in Brussels at 38 Rue Philippe de Champagne.
  • Rizal's first address when he moved to Ghent from Brussels at 32 Vlaanderenstraat (Rue de Flandre).
  • The location of the first publisher of Rizal's second novel El Filibusterismo at 66 Vlaanderenstraat, Ghent.
  • Rizal's officially registered residence at 9 Henegouwenstraat (Rue de Hainaut), an apartment he shared with another Filipino and tukayo Jose Alejandro in Ghent.
  • Commemorative landmarks around Belgium (addresses to follow).

The list will be updated and the date of the tour will be finalized soon. If you are interested, send me an email at deswie@gmail.com, or a text message to +32499125870, or add me on Facebook and drop me a line over there. I can't shoulder the expenses but I promise you won' t pay for mine! I will share the information I've gathered about Jose Rizal and his works while here in Belgium. And most importantly, I will be your official photographer!
I'm also open for suggestions as always so you can definitely suggest other places to visit. As a bonus, I can even take you to the Timichegtunnel, a tunnel in Ghent named after the Filipino Igorot, Timicheg, who participated in the International World Fair in 1913. What are you waiting for? Tara lets, bagets!
See you,
Des