Camino Photo of the Day: First Crossing of the River Lot

On the way out of Saint-Côme-d’Olt, the Camino crosses over the Lot. In Occitan, it is known as the Òlt – hence the name of the village. Over the course of the next week and a half, the Camino will leave the river valley of the Lot several times, always returning to it, before finally leaving it for good after the city of Cahors. It became a familiar, if inconstant, companion.

I wrote a sonnetina (part of my series, Sonnetinas from the Podiensis) about the river:

10. The River Lot 

Of old, she was the Olt, but now the Lot –
The river that we follow down through time
That parallels our winding pilgrim’s Way
Both metaphors that cannot fail to rhyme

Each fed by tributaries, growing large
A trickle, then a stream, but never not
Prone to take an unexpected way
And running, sometimes colder, sometimes hot.

But ever tumbling onwards towards their goal,
The cleansing, in the ocean, of their soul.

Date: 25 August 2023
Place: leaving Saint-Côme-d’Olt, Aveyron Département, Region of Occitanie, France

Maps!