In the high Caucasus

Friday May 31st, 2024, day 6 of 14. We drive west. A special banquet at lunchtime. We are received and warmly welcomed by the Mirziashvili family of musicians. As is often the case, the table is generously laid with vegetables, grilled mushrooms, shashlik, and filled dumplings. The head of the family makes a toast to the wine and his German-speaking son explains and translates. The father also talks about Germany, how he played music in front of the Beethoven monument in Bonn. We are given a German songbook. The request to sing one of the songs is met with an embarrassed tour group. As a passionate choir singer, I sing one of the well-known songs, but we prefer to keep quiet about our musical performance. Finally, there is a performance of lively flute music, accompanied by mandolin-like string instruments. The homemade wine tastes delicious and goes to some people's heads. A true master flutist, the father and band leader of Ananuri, plays two flutes at the same time at an insane tempo. Coffee, fruit and the obligatory pomace schnapps Chacha are served in the wonderful cherry orchard. After a wistful farewell to this family, who are so authentically lovely, we soon drive up over the Jvrevi Cross Pass (2395m) to our destination Stepansminda. Large flocks of sheep graze on the alpine meadows. The shepherds drive the sheep on horseback with a short leather whip. A monumental monument from the Soviet era commemorates the Persian raids in 1783. Bearded vultures circle majestically above us. From the hotel at 1766m we can watch ibexes. The temperature here is pleasantly cool after the humidity in the jungle yesterday.