wild marathon=fennel , giving accounts.....to The Marathon runners..
- Image via Wikipedia
The Marathon lake narrating the story behind its name
- A magpie having a bird’s-eye view
- The Marathon lake and its artistic temperament
- Birds, aeroplanes and parallel flights
- The Sun’s last smiles
- Militaristic approach…with a friendly disposition
- Birds Assembly before turning in
- The Marathon lake and after-glow
- The Marathon lake and the Marathon Dam
- Wild fennel all over Mt.Penteli and Marathonas
Thoughts and Toponyms and Toponomastics on a Spring day by The Marathon Lake
The beautiful Marathon lake is down the eastern slopes of Mt.Penteli and above the site of the Marathon battle (490 B.C.). It’s the coastal place where the Tymbos =tomb of Marathon is,where the first Marathon runner (messenger) started his 40 kilometre journey to Athens to report the victory.There is no doubt that the Marathon runners all over the world know the history behind the “Marathon” name.However, I was wondering while wandering the area if they really know the meaning of Marathon which is the name of an innocent wild plant,a famous,well-known herb.
Yes,we are talking about marathon,the Greek name of fennel .All the Marathon area and Mt.Penteli abound in fennel which excuses the Toponym Marathon. This hardy,perennial,aromatic herb, with the yellow flowers and the feathery leaves ,wrote History…and now it is widely used in Medicine and cooking,while it’s very pleasant in fresh salads.
The Marathon Dam is unique world-wide because its external cladding ( the insulating layer) of white Penteliko marble is the marble used in the construction of the Parthenon temple and the other buildings on the Acropolis of Athens.The lake is very beautiful and it’s a real pleasure to watch the sun setting and to recall Greek history…
http://www.adventure-marathon.com/Athens-Classic-Marathon.aspx
https://dodagrivas.wordpress.com/2011/01/25/onomatology-and-made-up-names-part-a/
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My Space in the Immense Universe 
[…] The Marathon Dam is exclusive world extensive as a result of its exterior cladding (the insulating layer) of white Penteliko marble is the marble used within the development of the Parthenon temple and the opposite buildings on the Acropolis of Athens. dodagrivas.wordpress.com/2011/04/21/the-marathon-race-and… […]
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By: The Marathon Lake | familiarity breeds contentment on 04/07/2017
at 14:56
Love this post and the beautiful lake pictures Doda. I didn`t know that fennel had the same name as Marathon in Greece. I use a lot of herbs myself but don`t have much experience with fennel. ❤ 🙂
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By: Aditix on 24/04/2015
at 13:11
Thank you so much for appreciating my “maratho”=fennel post!
I use a lot of herbs too and fennel is one of my favourites.You can use it fresh and finely cut in salads as well as in cooking.I cook vegetables such as artichokes with peas,carrots and I add plenty of fennel and lemon juice.I also add plenty of it when I cook lamb and lettuce,carrots in egg lemon sauce.Actually,it is a stronger dill.I also buy fennel seeds and make tea;it’s very good for you.
Do you use dill ? Big hugs to you my lovely friend 🙂 ❤ xxx
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By: DG MARYOGA on 24/04/2015
at 17:12
Yes, I love dill and use it a lot. Only rarely I see fennel in the store here, it`s not well known in this part of the world. You made me want to try it the next time I see it – I always learn new and interesting things in your place dear Doda. It`s a pleasure to visit here. Hugs 🙂 ❤
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By: Aditix on 25/04/2015
at 08:41
I learn new and captivating things in your wonderful posts Aditix Dear! Big Big Hugs 🙂 ❤ xxx
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By: DG MARYOGA on 25/04/2015
at 12:16
Doda, I found this older post and like the photos of nature very much in it! I did not know that marathon is the Greek word for fennel. Sometimes I do wonder about where words come from! Now I am learning… from the best – you 😀 xoxo
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By: Christy Birmingham on 27/02/2015
at 03:21
OM,om !What a nice surprise to have such a brilliant visitor to my humble post! Christy Dear,great the honour my friend,delighted you appreciated my Marathon post!Actually,the photos with the date stamped on,look really funny,but the beauty is still there … I should have re-arranged and edited it,but it’s time-consuming ~ Thank you for dropping by and for liking it!Always an avid fan of your remarkable poetry and your captivating stories !!! Sending hugs & kind thoughts your way 🙂 ❤ xxx
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By: DG MARYOGA on 27/02/2015
at 12:23
Awe, sweet Doda! I love visiting you and your kind words here are wonderful this weekend for me to read ❤ Sending love your way for the weekend!
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By: Christy Birmingham on 28/02/2015
at 22:19
Dear Doda, Last night I read through so many of your comments on my blog. Wonderful. And, yes, I had read all your comments on the paintings posted before San Jose. Please excuse me for not acknowledging you. I really like to do that because your comments mean a lot to me.
I am reading this book ‘A Gate at the Stairs’ by Lorrie Moore. I am quite taken by her descriptions and thought I would take the liberty of sharing this one with you. “……driving slowly toward home, the dark trees going by us with their branches set the the soft mush of the night sky like wrens’ feet or a spiky brooch in a cotton-bedded box.”
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By: Gretchen Del Rio on 01/05/2011
at 20:43
Thank you my dearest Gretchen for sharing these painting-like,poetical lines from the novel you are reading.
Needless to say that you knew how much I would appreciate it and that it would flood my soul with the same gentle feelings as yours.
Simple,everyday words …used with the pen’s dexterity in one and only one line,succeeded in creating a most powerful effect.
I,so much, like the contribution of the tiny wrens’ feet to “draw” the night skies’ dark magic…The night has fallen and the songbirds attempt the last flights in the sky where the shadows of their feet….
Oh! And the softness of the cotton-bedded box ,I can almost feel it…where the spiky brooch rests…Yes,the sun rests its beams in the cotton-like clouds,that’s why the presence of the “Spiky” brooch,a piece of valuable,golden jewellery to resemble the sun’s “spiky” golden beams….It’s wonderful.
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By: DG MARYOGA on 02/05/2011
at 00:07
wow!your photos depict a wonderful landscape…With no doubt,Marathon lake is one of the most characteristic of nature’s beauty!i love this post!!! D
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By: Anonymous on 26/04/2011
at 23:36
Obviously,Nature lavishly spread its beauty around the lake and the surrounding countryside.I love watching the sun setting from up there.It’s so romantic…
Thanks for your visit
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By: DG MARYOGA on 27/04/2011
at 00:04
Amazing!
Hope am able to visit Greece one day and witness all that majestic and bewildering grandeur and charm that made it emerge as a centre of civilization, history and learning.
And yes! Being a Marathon runner, the place is of unique attraction for me 🙂
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By: Delirium on 22/04/2011
at 13:49
OM ! With great pleasure I am replying to a Marathon runner who really appreciated my Marathon post.
Thank you for being so lavish with your praise upon Greece.Personally, I consider that our planet’s beauty and history belong to everybody and simply we share them.Hope you turn your desire into reality one day and fulfill you dream to visit Greece.
Thank you for coming by
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By: DG MARYOGA on 22/04/2011
at 19:05
I feel very fortunate to see Greece through your camera lens. I have never known but the ‘regular’ (touristy) shots of your very beautiful country. I have always wanted to see Greece and your accounts have give me a new depth of tour. Beautiful lake. And fennel. Oh I do love it. It is very good for what ails the stomach. I frequently use the essential oil of fennel to calm nausea. Works wonders for me. And I love the feathery quality of the fronds.
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By: Gretchen Del Rio on 22/04/2011
at 00:54
Hello stranger ! Still alive and kicking…and painting ?
Back to the beautiful San Bernardino mountains from San Jose? Thanks for coming by,I am glad you gratified your “biophilia ” through my Marathon images which were properly inserted into my writing part gradually but for some reason they all came above my writing.
Anyway,I had commented on all your remarkable paintings you had published before leaving for San Jose but there was no response so it gave me the impression that something went wrong.Have you read them ?Hope you did,at least, to see my admiration for your Art works.
Once again,thank you for your visit.
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By: DG MARYOGA on 22/04/2011
at 18:33