Condemned to sunrise
From Barcelona, Rizal writes his family on 23 June 1882, more than a month after he ran away to Europe: At the beginning, the sailing was good. We passed opposite Greece, the Island of Candia; on the 10th, with good weather, we sighted the coast of Italy; the first town we saw was (unreadable) with a very beautiful beach which at the time a train was crossing. Thence the sailing was very pleasant on account of the beauty of the Italian coasts, thickly populated and well cultivated, presenting a picturesque aspect, full of life and poetry. xxx On the same afternoon of the 10t6h we passed through the Strait of Messina with a sea so smooth that we didn't notice a single wave. xxx A city viewed at night with beacons of different colors and electric lights that seemed to wander from one place to another seemed to me a monster with a thousand restless and distrustful eyes. We deferred then for the next day our curiosity. I am condemned to see cities at sunrise which surprise a traveler who sees a pleasant thing suddenly and not gradually.

The photo shown here is from se.inf.ethz.ch/ and simply titled 'Sunrise in Spain.' It is a magnificent view, and so I am surprised that Rizal would prefer not to see a city first at sunrise. He is thinking of studying a city. He is thinking too rationally he allows his logical mind to ignore the beauty of the surprise.