After a week of being indoors, it’s nice to spend some time in the bright sunshine.
For me, Helsa is a right town to fit the bill, as it’s known for its many bike paths through the Hessian countryside.
That’s not to say you won’t find old churches and stuff, far be it from me to suggest such a thing — but, here in Helsa, the outside wins hands-down.
It doesn’t matter the season, either. Winter, or not, everyone can find something they like to do. When the weather’s cold and frosty, skiing comes to mind on any number of ski trails. Don’t worry, you don’t have to hike the mountains to ski down them — the lifts will bring you up. Ooh, and sledding down a snowy hill is also good old-fashioned fun, right?
In the warmer months, mountain biking and cycling and hiking are great past times in the Kaufunger Wald. And with quite the number of grilling areas, a picnic is just what you need to keep up your strength to keep going and going.
One great bike trail is the Lossetalradweg, going on for some 33 km. While one of the more famous ones is the Grimmsteig, a scenic route whose theme is about the Brüder Grimm.
That’s right, sound it out — the Brothers Grimm. See, you can speak German now. ;-)
Of course, if you choose to go inside, you might want to make it to the lovely Baroque Church (built 1786) in the village of Wickenrode, just one of Helsa’s four hamlets. You’ll find a blend of Romanesque and Gothic architecture at the Protestant church in Eschenstruth (along with an old munitions factory and Radio & Cinema Museum), and a Huguenot Church in St. Ottilien.
This last hamlet started off with just about 50 people back in the 18th century, now it has more than quadrupled its size — having just over 300 people. Good things come in small packages, right?
Helsa’s landmark, however, is its old St. Nicholas Church that still has part of its old defensive wall. Funny, I’d have thought the Old Mill would have been its landmark — it’s still producing power after all these years.
The numerous half-timbered houses throughout town, especially along Königstraße, could make for a landmark too.
To me it doesn’t matter if it’s bright sunshine, or a gray bleak day — Helsa’s great for being outside. Come to think of it, it’s great for just about anything you can think of.
