Our destination is the mountainous Svaneti. The good Tamona from Tbilisi warned us that winter was already here and that there would be knee-deep snow.

With the window open and only a T-shirt, however, we drive through the most picturesque Alpine landscape – with defense towers.

In Svaneti we reach the largest town Mestia. Here everything is already being prepared for tourism. We eat Georgian and make a statement over a “typical local sausage”.

While all sorts of tubes and vessels from the inside of a certain local pig look at us expectantly to see that not every local delicacy is necessarily good. I have an excellent wine with it.

We leave the future tourist Mecca and set up camp with a fire in the mountains.

We reach the center of Svaneti in a village called Ushguli.

Five thousand meter high snow-covered mountains and glaciers line the valley with the ancient village of defensive towers and slate-covered stone houses, between which cows, horses, goats or sheep stand. An old church sits enthroned on a hill above it all.

It’s still early in the morning and we’re strolling through a small suburb. Nobody can be seen, it looks like a ghost village. But then an old woman comes up to me, speaks to me in Georgian and puts a sachet of herbal salt in my hand.

I thank you very much with a “Gaumajoba”, but she gives me to understand that she would like to have money now. I am disappointed, but am happy about a very authentic souvenir.