History lessons come to life for couple

For years, first grade teacher Emily Tucker Hodges read novels set in ancient Greece and Rome and imagined what those places might have looked like.

This spring, Hodges, who taught at Tharptown Elementary School for two years, stood beneath the columns of the Parthenon, walked the streets of Venice and explored centuries-old cities she had previously known only through books and classroom lessons.

To celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary, Hodges and her husband, Shane, spent 13 days traveling through Italy, Greece, Croatia and Montenegro during their first trip across the Atlantic Ocean.

Her fascination with history began in a 10thgrade classroom at Cullman High School.

“Our teacher, Miss Reeves, taught history like she was telling us a story,” Hodges said.

Rather than focusing on dates and memorization, Hodges said Reeves helped students see history as something vivid and alive. That interest eventually grew into a love of historical fiction and a fascination with ancient civilizations, particularly the Greeks and Romans.

Although Italy served as the starting point for the trip, Greece had long been the destination she most wanted to visit.

Emily Tucker Hodges sits at the top of the Ladder of Kotor.

The couple arrived in Venice after more than 17 hours of travel. After spending two nights in the city, they traveled to Ravenna, where they boarded a Mediterranean cruise that included stops in Croatia, Montenegro and Greece before ending in Athens.

The trip began with a few transportation adventures. The couple watched their train departure platform change at the last minute while they waited with luggage at the station.

At another point, they accidentally boarded a train headed in the wrong direction and later found themselves on the wrong ferry while navigating Venice’s waterways.

Emily Tucker Hodges and Shane Hodges go kayaking in Dubrovnik, Croatia.

Despite the occasional confusion, both said Venice quickly became one of the highlights of the trip.

“My favorite thing in Venice was the streets, and how it was just kind of like a maze,” Hodges said. “You never knew, when you turned the corner, what was going to be there next.”

She said she enjoyed seeing everyday life unfold alongside famous landmarks. While dining in small courtyards, the couple looked up to find laundry hanging from apartments above them.

Shane said Venice felt like a place visitors could spend days exploring. The city’s canals offered a glimpse into a way of life unlike what the couple experiences at home.

The Hodges couple visited the home of “The Cheese Man” in Kotor.

“Ambulances are boats, construction vehicles are boats,” Shane Hodges. “All their deliveries are by boats.”

The couple also enjoyed a gondola ride through Venice’s canals and toured St. Mark’s Basilica.

One unexpected moment came while retrieving luggage from a bus near their hotel. A woman picked up one of their suitcases and started to walk away before Shane stopped her. She apologized and left without collecting any other bags.

The couple said they were surprised by how easy communication proved to be throughout the trip.

“About 90% of everybody we encountered could speak enough English to communicate with us,” Shane said.

Emily and Shane Hodges encountered a tower in Venice with architecture they found interesting.

One stop that left a particularly strong impression on Emily Hodges was Dubrovnik, Croatia. Seeing the centuries-old city in person reminded her of settings she had encountered in books for years.

“This is what these places that I read these stories about look like,” she said.

The couple explored Dubrovnik’s stone streets, viewed historic buildings, and went kayaking along the coastline.

Another stop included Athens, where they visited the Acropolis and the Parthenon.

“The Acropolis, just by itself, was amazing,” Shane said.

Emily said photographs did not prepare her for the scale of the site.

“Those columns were so big that I couldn’t even reach my arms around them,” she said.

She said seeing the structures in person made it difficult to comprehend how ancient builders accomplished such work without modern equipment.

One detail that stood out in Athens, she said, was the couple’s hotel, which featured preserved ancient ruins visible beneath glass flooring.

The hotel’s rooftop restaurant offered nighttime views of the illuminated Acropolis.

The couple also visited Olympia, birthplace of the Olympic Games. The Olympic flame is lit in Olympia before each Games and carried to the host city.

Other memorable experiences included visiting Mykonos, watching traditional Greek dancing and riding donkeys in See Santorini.

“The only way to get up there is either to take a cable car, ride a donkey or walk,” Shane said.

Having recently completed the Ladder of Kotor hike in Montenegro, the couple opted for the donkeys.

“We climbed 3,000 feet,” Shane said.

The couple estimated they walked about 12 miles that day.

Partway up the mountain, they encountered an unexpected refreshment stop operated by “The Cheese Man,” a man selling drinks, schnapps and cheese.

“Everything that’s up here has been delivered by donkeys,” Shane said.

Food also became part of the travel experience.

“The lasagna was the best,” Emily said.

Shane said he particularly enjoyed the fish served throughout much of the trip.

Not every meal was successful. One dinner in Athens stood out after Shane ordered tuna tartare without realizing it would be served raw.

“The stray cats wouldn’t even eat it,” Emily said.

By the end of the trip, the couple had visited four countries, explored ancient landmarks and experienced cultures far different from their own. The Hodges said they hope to continue traveling and visiting new destinations in the future.

“It was amazing,” Emily said. “This was truly a once-in-a-lifetime trip.”