For her 1st European Book Tour, Denice Enoch Craton travelled to the UK and began in Brighton, England. After spending a few days getting to know the locals and leaving her books in their hands, she headed to London. Before long she was in Poland where she visited the beautiful Krakow and metropolitian Warsaw.
Though very different from her hometown in Texas, the people she met and shared her story with welcomed her with open arms, very friendly and eager to learn more about her.
She is planning another overseas book tour in the near future, which will include Volume II of her Encounters of Short Arisings Trilogy - "Sweet Interlude" - which is due to be released Spring of 2008.
You can find out more about her visit to Krakow, Poland below...
Denice Enoch Craton's recent European book tour was more than just about her books. Being raised in Hallettsville, Texas, which is about 28% German, 16% Czech, 1.6% Czechoslovakian, and .2% Polish, Craton saw an opportunity to learn more about the history of some of her neighbors. For her it was a very eye-opening experience, being from such a small town to be in Poland, in Krakow and seeing first hand how a different part of history had affected her own world in small ways.
While in Poland, she had an opportunity to visit some historic sights and learn more about the people, especially in Krakow. One such occasion was a visit to the Galicia Jewish Museum in Krakows Jewish district, Kazimierz. (http://www.galiciajewishmuseum.org). The museum, which was founded and set up by British photojournalist, Chris Schwarz, is located in a renovated former Jewish factory. Here Craton was able to glimpse of a part of Krakows past.
Another excursion took them to Auschwitz. All over the world, Auschwitz has become a symbol of terror, genocide, and the Holocaust, where no words could describe the feelings that could arise from visiting such a place. There were so many stories of sadness and despair there. It made her wonder how after surviving such human devastation the city of Krakow she was visiting could have transformed itself into the beauty it had now become.
She also had an opportunity to visit the Wieliczka Salt Mines. Picasso has said that the altarpiece in St. Mary's Church was the eighth wonder of the world over 300 feet underground in the largest of the salt mines chambers.
It was also hard to miss Krakows Wawel Castel. Krakow used to be the capital of Poland from the 11th century up until the early 17th century. Wawel Castle used to be the seat of Polish Royalty. Today, Polands capital is in Warsaw.
Craton also traveled there and received a very special treat: azienki Park. It is Warsaws largest park sitting on nearly 200 acres in the middle of the city near Warsaws Botanical Gardens. At its entrance there is a grand monument of Polands famous composer, Chopin. The garden was established in the 17th century. Its palace was nearly destroyed during the Warsaw Uprising and had to be rebuilt after World War II. An impressive garden park with lakes and beautiful landscaping, azienki Park originally was a Royal Palaces park which used to be a summer retreat for the King of Poland. Even so, Krakows Wawel Castle in Krakow is still considered by many to be the heart of the Polish nation.
It was a very inspiring journey for Craton, and now she is has returned to her home town of Hallettsville, Texas. She is continuing her book tour around the state as she awaits for Volume II of the Encounters of Short Arisings trilogy, Sweet Interlude, to be published and released in Spring of this year.
