We decide to be lazy today. At first we drive some 15km North to Col d’Aspen (1400m). The parking place on the pass is occupied by goats and cows. While I take things out of the trunk a cow breathes in my nape and pushes me with her muzzle.
When ready with the cow and with our hiking equipment off we go to the nearest summit. It’s very hot – when up on the summit we take a rest and enjoy the landscape then descend back to the pass. While descending we see a gray snake that hides quickly in the grass. When we are back we see that the road is blocked by the cows. The drivers and cyclists need a patience and skill to get through. I squeeze the car between to cows and drive to Mongie – a famous mountain resort. There we take a cable car to get to the summit Pic du Midi
de Bigorre. There are two cable cars in fact. In the middle of the way there is a station where we have to move from one carriage to other. Both carriages move at decent height. At the summit there is an observatory and a deep snow. The territory around the observatory is surrounded by the handrail – inside there is a souvenir shop, bistros and a museum. We enjoy the mountains around and check what we see on the information table. Here is Breche de Roland in particular (we were there last year). We visit the museum as well (includes the elevator that moves slowly up like a space ship).
When back in Mongie we have a lunch in café (a baked camembert served on a round wooden plate, ham, baked potato wrapped in foil, salad). On a way back to St. Lary Soulan we drive trough village of Cadeac les Bains. There the road runs through the one wing of the church.
