We had a family field trip! Dad and Mom took us to a trip down Philippine history in Intramuros.
First stop was Fort Santiago. We walked the walls of this former fortress and saw the dungeons which before served as cells to political prisoners during the Spanish era, and later to prisoners of war during the Japanese occupation
The highlight of this leg of our trip was our visit to Jose Rizal's Shrine. It was the closest encounter we had with our national hero and Julio's idol. We saw some of Rizal's personal effects such as clothing, pictures, medical instruments, calling cards, etc. Also on display were some pieces of furniture which were used by him and his family in their home in Calamba, Laguna. We got the chance to view some of Rizal's work too -- his writings, sculptures and sketches.
Most exciting was the footsteps on the foreground which enabled us to retrace Jose Rizal's path from his dungeon to his execution place in Bagumbayan (now known as Luneta or Rizal park). Awesome!
Next stop was Casa Manila. It was really like going back in time. The house and the furniture and furnishings in it gave us a sense of how Manilans lived during the Spanish colonial era. We learned of the courtyard, entrasuelo, oratorio, and more.
Then we visited the oldest stone-church in the Philippines-- the San Agustin Church. It has a museum too where religious relics and art works were on display.
Whew! What a day -like we were transported back to the 19th century! Now, that is what we'd call virtual lesson in history.
We are in front of the Rizal monument. Beneath this grand marker lies Dr. Jose Rizal's remains. Also, just across it is the actual site of his execution. We found out that his "firing squad" was made up of in fact eight Filipino shooters all were serving under the Spanish army.
