Sweet Home Victoria

In many ways Dag and I live like nomads. We spend months at a time living out of carry-on bags, and can create a comfortable base in the simplest of circumstance, anywhere in the world. Two key elements make this possible: we have each other, and we have a home to return to in Canada, a place that anchors us. For the last six years our home base has been Victoria. I can’t think of a city more suited to our lifestyle: on the ocean, cycle friendly, a vibrant art scene and with some of the best restaurants in North America. You’ve probably realized that Dag and I are serious foodies, and when we’re home in Victoria there’s nothing we like doing better than pedalling off to some of our favourite haunts. For coffee, we head to Street Level Espresso, 714 Fort Street. This is coffee the European way: no big list of choices, just small cups of perfected roasted and brewed coffee. Simply the best in town. And you’ve got to love a barista with the elephant god Ganesh tattooed on his arm!

When the sun’s out, lunchtime is great on the patio at Canoe: www.canoebrewpub.com. We love the old building, the location right on the harbour, and the true pub atmosphere – this is a place you can linger, and hang out with friends and never feel hurried to leave your table.

And for dinner, our current rave places are Stage in Fernwood, www.stagewinebar.com and Zambris www.zambris.ca. We always grab a couple of bar seats, chat up the bar man for his recommendations and settle in for a relaxed evening of good wine and slow food.