The little village of La Mongie is at 1,800 m (5,900 ft) altitude in the region of Bigorre -Bigorra or Ibaigorri in Basque-Navarrese-, France. Bigorre was part of Northern Navarre for many centuries and the capital of this region is Tarbes/Tarba. The ancient name of La Mongie was Mongia in Basque-Navarrese because a monastery of monks was founded there. According to Wikipedia: There are also residences at 1850 and the Tourmalet building at 1900. It lies below the Col du Tourmalet 2,115 m (6,939 ft). Nowadays It is in the canton of Campan in the Midi-Pyrénées region (department 65) of France and around 20 kilometers (12 mi) from the Spanish border. La Mongie is a winter ski resort offering alpine skiing, snowboarding, snowpark, cross-country skiing, snowmobiles and hiking in snowshoes. In the summer cycling (on and off road) and the use of trials motorcycles is popular. The village has two small supermarkets, a tourist information center, gift shops and many restaurants and ski rental shops. The nearby spa town of Bagnères-de-Bigorre offers large supermarkets and shops, restaurants, a casino, an 18-hole golf course and the natural spa baths themselves.
Photos by Gorka Jakobe Palazio, 2019, under CC by license.