Rodalquilar

Rodalquilar is the intended destination of a nighttime drive Sofia Papastergiadis takes with her mother, Rose Papastergiadis. In the account, the place is defined less by the village itself than by the rough mountain route leading toward it, where signs of abandonment and stubborn growth line the way to the motorway.

The Route Toward Rodalquilar

Sofia chooses the route toward Rodalquilar after Rose agrees to go for a drive. Rather than heading straight to the motorway, she takes a rough road across the mountains before joining it. The warm night and Rose’s open window make the journey an occasion to look outward, even as the road itself demands attention.

Landscape and Approach

The route passes ruins marked for sale by signs fixed to rusty poles in the hard earth. Nearby, someone has made a garden: a tall flowering cactus has toppled beneath the weight of its fruit, leaving an abundance of yellow prickly pears. The scene holds neglect and cultivation side by side, with a makeshift garden flourishing beside ruins offered for sale.

The road is pitted with holes and scattered small rocks, which send dust across the windscreen. After navigating this hazardous stretch, Sofia turns left onto the new motorway, driving fast and with limited visibility. Rose soon asks for water, adding an immediate need to the already precarious journey; the account does not establish whether they reach Rodalquilar.