TRAVEL THE WORLD - ISTANBUL, TURKEY

Hagia Sophia is a familiar landmark of Istanbul. The cathedral was built by the Byzantine emperor Justinian between 532 and 537 and is considered the prime example of Byzantine architecture. It is famous for its huge dome. After Byzantium was conquered by the Ottoman Turks in 1453, the city became Muslim and Hagia Sophia became a mosque. It was very dark inside. My main impression was of its immense size and the incredible height of the roof. There are some beautiful mosaics as well. I believe it has now become a museum.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - MONTPELLIER, FRANCE

I love the way the light shines through the openings in the Roman aqueduct at Montpellier, photographed in 1999. Montpellier is one of my favourite places in France. It has a world renowned medical school, the most beautiful modern buildings you will ever see, a very interesting old medieval quarter, and of course this beautiful ancient aqueduct. What more could you ask?

TRAVEL THE WORLD - SEGESTA, SICILY

We traveled to Sicily in 2000. The theatre at Segesta dates from about 409 BC. It was originally Greek and later used by the Romans. Greek plays are staged here in the summer. The theatre dominates the hillside, and from the top, the views are spectacular.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - BIGNOR ROMAN VILLA, ENGLAND

My mother and I had a holiday in England in 1984. Driving north of Chichester on a minor road in the countryside , we saw a sign post for a Roman villa. Intrigued, we stopped to see it and were amazed at the quality of the beautiful mosaic floors. As this was the first time I saw ruins from the ancient world, the day remains fresh in my memory some 25 years later. The floors are part of a Roman villa that dates from the 3rd Century AD.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - AGRIGENTO, SICILY

At Agrigento in 2000, as elsewhere in Sicily, we were able to walk freely among the ancient ruins, something that made it possible to appreciate these beautiful sites in a new way. The city of Agrigento was nothing special, but near it there were several Greek temples to wander about in. These have been designated a World Heritage Site and date from the 6th and 5th Centuries B.C.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - BATH, ENGLAND

A visit to these Roman baths will make it easy to imagine what one very important feature of life in ancient Rome was like. The photo was taken in 1997 when my husband Paul, my son Jason and I had a holiday in England, France, Belgium and the Netherlands.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - SEGESTA, SICILY

In 2000, we traveled to Sicily and were very pleasantly surprised when we saw its beautiful ancient temples. This Doric temple was built in the late 5th Century BC when Segesta was one of several Greek cities that existed on the island.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - GIZA, EGYPT

Although we had seen photos of the pyramids and heard of them many times, we were surprised by how strong the impact was when we actually saw them in 2004. Both the pyramids themselves and their desert setting were incredibly beautiful.