Original Tim Hortons Store

Location:  Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Address:  65 Ottawa St. N
Date: October 2023
Website: www.timhortons.ca

  Miles Gilbert "Tim" Horton was born in Ontario in 1930.  He was signed as a Toronto Maple Leaf hockey player in 1949. He played in the National Hockey League for 22 years and won 4 Stanley Cups with the Toronto Maple Leafs.  He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1977. For Canadian coffee and donut fans, he also started the Tim Hortons donut store chain.

  The very first Tim Horton Donuts opened on May 17, 1964 on Ottawa Street North in Hamilton, Ontario.  There are now over 3,500 Tim Hortons across Canada and thousands more around the world.  The very first store is still in operation and now houses a small museum on its second floor. 

 

      There is a replica of a 1960s style counter as it would have appeared in a Tim Hortons.

 

    A sign behind the counter lets you know that a dozen donuts is only $1.25. If that price is too steep for you, the day olds are half price.

 

    Another display case featured cakes and advertised that you can get a slice of pie and a coffee for $1.49. That's a mighty nice pie slice.

  The display case was full of donuts such as the butterfly donuts (above). We were not sure if these donuts had been around since the 1960s and wouldn't pay the 15 cents to find out anyways.

 

    Other display cases had some uniforms worn by Tim Hortons staff through the years.

 

    Tim Horton played for 4 different teams in his NHL career but is best known for wearing the Toronto Maple Leafs uniform.

   A statue of Tim Horton stands on the street outside of the first store. Tim Horton died in 1974 and his business partner Ron Joyce became sole owner of the company.

      In Buffalo, New York, USA there is another statue of Tim Horton.  He played with the Buffalo Sabres from 1972 until his death in 1974. Tim Horton crashed his car travelling alone from Toronto to Buffalo after a hockey game. It wouldn't be until 1985 when the first US Tim Hortons opened in Amherst, New York.

    Tim Horton and his wife are buried in York Cemetery in North York which is part of Toronto, Ontario.

   While in Toronto you can see another statue of Tim Horton in Legends Row. Legends Row is located outside of the Scotiabank Arena and honours Toronto Maple Leaf greats.

    Tim Horton had started a Children's Camp to help children from underpriviledged families. There were dishes in the display cases showing some of the camps.

  The museum had various glasses, mugs, donut bags and Timbit merchandise. The Timbit was introduced at Tim Hortons in 1976.

   Timbits are a donut ball or donut hole. Some people believe they are made by punching out the centre of round donuts. As you can see at the top of this display case is a Timbit roller designed to specially cut out the ball shape from a sheet of dough.

    Tim Hortons collaborated once with Canadian pop star Justin Bieber where he chose his favourite styles of Timbits.

      Tim Hortons is also known for its successful Roll Up The Rim contest. It was started in 1986 and if you rolled up the rim of your coffee cup you could win food prizes or even a car. The cup in the top left corner was the earliest on display. It was from the contest held in 1991. 

     If you get the chance you should visit the Tim Hortons in Hamilton for a little Canadian history.  This is one museum where you can have food and drink while you browse the exhibits. By food and drink we mean coffee and doughnuts!

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Map of Our World
Tim Hortons First Store & Museum

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Post # 329

The Old Tavern Of Psaras

 

Location: Athens, Greece
Address: Erotokritou 16, Plaka
Date: February 2023
Website: psaras-taverna.gr

    The Plaka is one of the oldest neighbourhoods in Athens, Greece.  It spreads out below the Acropolis from the North-East side like a maze.  We are sure that even right now, many a tourist is lost and trying to find their way through the Plaka.  If you are trying to drive a rental car and check into your hotel the streets of the Plaka can be quite frustrating.  The streets are narrow and winding and many are pedestrian only. If you are ready to take an evening stroll looking for great food and some souvenirs then the Plaka can be full of surprises.

      Around any corner could be a church or a monument. The Choragic Monument of Lysicrates above, dates from 334 BC and sits in a little square.

   In Plaka some streets are bustling and some appear deserted.  There is always the chance that coming around the corner is a bike, a taxi or a crowd of people.  We worked our way through the streets in order to find a special place for dinner.

  From the Acropolis you can look down on the red rooftops of the oldest buildings in Plaka.  Off in the distance is the highest point in Athens, Lycabettus Hill.  Near the front of the photo is Psaras Taverna which is the oldest continually operating tavern in all of Athens.

   Just in case you couldn't locate the restaurant in the previous photo, here is a close up view.  Now you should be able to find it. Using an aerial view is much easier than finding the restaurant back down on the ground.

    Psaras means fisherman in Greek so the name of the restaurant in English is the Old Fisherman's Tavern.  The restaurant has been operating since 1898.

 

     The restaurant has taken over several buildings and all of the stairs in the area.

 

     We were seated outside in a corner next to a heat lamp to keep us warm.  It was rather cool in Athens that week and it did actually snow only two days later. We appreciated being tucked in to enjoy our meal and the atmosphere.  We had a mushroom soup and a chicken gyro dinner.

  

   As we were finishing up our coffee we heard a woman speaking to the matre d'.  "Reservation for a rather large goup of kidney doctors please".  We took care of our bill and readied ourselves for the streets of Plaka.  Sure enough a line of people appeared from one of the walkways and snaked past us and up to an upper terrace seating area.  We didn't stay to count, but 165 sounds about right.

 

    As we made our way back through the streets of the Plaka we looked up at the Acropolis.  We would be back again in the Plaka the next day and end up dining at Diogenis (on the right in the photo above).  The Plaka is a great place to spend a day getting lost and seeing what you can find.

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Map of Our World
Psaras Taverna , Diogenis
Choragic Monument Of Lysicrates

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Post # 320

Thessaloniki Waterfront

Location: Thessaloniki, Greece
Address: Aristotelous Square
Date: August 2015
Website: thessaloniki.gr

    Thessaloniki is the second largest city in Greece.  It has a beautiful waterfront filled with interesting buildings and sculptures. When we visited we took a walk through the center of town towards Aristotelous Square and along the water.

   As you head towards the water you walk along a huge pedestrian plaza flanked by buildings on either side. As we neared the actual square we encountered a large group of pigeons and people selling balloons. The idea of the square was designed in 1918, but the majority was not built until the 1950s. In terms of Greek structures this square is just a baby. 

      The area is named after the Greek philosopher Aristotle. There is a statue of him seated at the edge of the square. Aristotle was born in 382 BC. That is over 2000 years before even the idea of the square.

  After walking through the square, you can walk along the waterfront where an assortment of restaurants await.

    One restaurant we visited was Agioli. It had planes, lanterns and deli meats all hanging from its ceiling. 

     After enjoying a meal or a drink you can continue along the waterfront towards the most recognizable structure in Thessaloniki.

     The White Tower stands over Thessaloniki's waterfront as it has since approximately 1535.  Greece regained control of the city and the tower from Ottoman rule and the tower still stands today.

    In front of the White Tower stands a statue dedicated to Nikolaos Votsis who was a famous Greek naval officer.

   If you wish to have your own adventures out on the sea there are tourist ships that will take you.  You can enjoy the view as well as a few drinks on a pirate ship.

     If you prefer you can also travel out on the sea in a replica of the Argo.  The Argo was a ship used in the story of Jason and the Argonauts on their quest to find the Golden Fleece.

   As we headed further along the waterfront we took one more look up at the White Tower.  You can see little openings where the soldiers would look out or launch their weapons from.  Today the tower is used as a museum to explain some of the history of the area.

   The next statue we encountered was of Alexander the Great.  Alexander was a king in Ancient Greece.  He was actually tutored by Aristotle when he was a young boy.

   Alexander The Great was great at battle and created a huge empire that stretched from Greece all the way to India.  He is depicted rearing up on his horse with sword in hand.

   A different work of art located next to Alexander is the National Resistance Memorial.  This memorial is dedicated to the Greek heroes who fought in World War II.

  An army of birds caught our eye as they marched over a grassy patch.  We moved closer to see who these vistors were.

  The birds in question were hooded crows.  They get their name from their black head.  They are found all across Europe and unlike their raven cousins they have grey and brownish feathers as well as black.

      A nearby statue represents another great Greek leader.  This is Konstantinos Karamanlis.  From 1955 to 1995 he was Prime Minister four times and President of Greece twice.

  Further along the waterfront was a piece of art not representing any great person but just for art's sake.

   The Umbrellas was created by sculptor Giorgios Zongolopoulos in 1997 and has become a popular photo spot along the water.

   As we looked up the street we noticed another strange tower in the distance.  This is OTE Tower and it opened in 1966. Unlike the White Tower, it was never involved in battle.  It does work as a communications tower and has a revolving restaurant inside. 

   The sun started to set as we headed back towards Aristotelous Square for dinner.  We found a nice spot on one of the balconies and enjoyed our meal as we waited for the show.

    Soon the sun started to set behind the industrial port section of the waterfront. The sky turned a bright orange as the sun slipped away.

   Soon the darkness had taken over and groups of people headed out to enjoy the nightlife. We realized we had spent the whole day exploring and admiring the sights around Thessaloniki's waterfront.  Not a bad way to spend a day.

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Map of Our World
White Tower Of Thessaloniki

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Post # 319