Category: Via Podiensis

After walking uphill through the woods for some time, we came to this clearing near the top of the hill. The dawn’s light bathed these ruins and the nearby farmhouse in scarlet, and I stopped for a while to admire the view. It had nothing to do from being winded by the climb, of course. I took half a dozen […]

After crossing the river, I stopped for one last look at the lovely village of Saint-Côme-d’Olt. You can more clearly see the twisty church tower from this angle, and I think get a clearer idea of how the village sits above the river. From here, the Camino parallels the river for a bit, ducking in and out of forest and […]

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 […]

The next morning, I left Saint-Côme-d’Olt about dawn. This is later than in previous days, as the high temperature today was only supposed to be in the upper 70s. I ran in to a number of other pilgrims leaving the village. Even if I didn’t have others to follow, the way was clearly marked. Daylight helped too, of course. Date: […]

I took this photo at dusk. This is the twisty spire of the church of Saint-Côme-et-Saint-Damien in Saint-Côme-d’Olt. This particular style of tower is known as a twisted or flamed bell tower. There are more than sixty such towers in France, and perhaps a hundred throughout Europe. Often times they are the result of subsidence when the roof is too […]

As I mentioned the other day, the old center of Saint-Côme-d’Olt is a maze of medieval streets and alleys. In one of these, I found my gîte. They kindly let me in a little early, and after a shower I napped a while, recovering from my heat exhaustion. Here I met two people walking the extremes: Martin from Obersdorf, Bavaria, […]

This is the village church of Saint-Côme-d’Olt. Previously, I posted some photos of the interior, but I think the exterior is just as striking, if for different reasons. It’s been restored and had so much rebuilding work done that it’s difficult to see what the original design might have been. The tower is just odd, with its little side turret […]

The old center of Saint-Côme-d’Olt is a maze of medieval streets and alleys. They provided much-needed shade as I explored the village. I had several hours to do this, as my gîte wasn’t scheduled to open until 3 PM. My plan was to explore, find a bar and grab some substantive lunch, and then head back to the church. These […]

Despite drinking at least two liters of water – and several Oranginas – I was suffering from heat exhaustion. I spent quite a while in the coolness of the Église Saint-Côme-et-Saint-Damien. In addition to a relief from the outside temperatures, there was just something about the quality of light in the church that was mesmerizing. Normally I’m not a fan […]

After stopping for a bite to eat, Loïc, Irene, and I visited the Église Saint-Côme-et-Saint-Damien – the church with the twisty steeple. There we cooled down – outside it was more than 90° F (32° C) – and prayed. This Gothic church was initially built as a castle chapel in the 14th century, becoming became a parish church about a […]