"When I was a boy, my mother took me out in the city often, sometimes the outlying towns," he says thoughtfully. "It wasn't until my father cobbled up titles that I got too pinned down."

They turn again, and the building comes into view. "The old conservatory, for plants from foreign regions. There aren't many left these days, but the one at home was my favorite place to go as a boy. This one's grander." It's like a palace, but one only full of plants.