Am I missing something?

 Ah, yes.  Running.  So, it turns out that my plan to fly to Athens, snag a bib from Matt Crowther, hop on a bus to Μαραθώναξ and hoof it back hit one big snag.  Matt had hurt his knee(s) and wan't gonna be able to run the 26.2 miler and had settled on just doing the 5k. (a little over 10%).  He had agreed to give me his spot so I could do it up.  Turns out, once he switched, he couldn't switch it back.  So, even with the bib, they wouldn't let me on the bus.  Shucks.  It did give me a chance to sleep in a little that morning.  And basically, I went to meet Sarah and her roommate, Janessa, after They ran The Marathon.  Somehow, "Congratulations" just doesn't say everything I was thinking at the time.  All and all, I was pretty disappointed.
I had come here for two things and 50% of that had fallen to unforeseen consequences.  Of all the dozens of scenarios I had played out, the Marathon was in all of them.  Well, Sunday came and went.  The race, itself, was over.  So?     

Well, I walked it.  I took the metro as far east as it would go, about 9 miles.  The only thing to do after that was to walk.

 And walk.  Since I was wearing Vibram Five Finger shoes, it wasn't the most comfortable.  They, especially the model I have, are for running mostly.  Basically, no heel support.  So, going about 20 miles on cobblestone sidewalks and rocky walkways wasn't the most comfortable.  Marble.  Everywhere is marble.  They have so much marble just everywhere.  I just lines the streets.  Big broken slabs and little pebbles too, like leaves in fall in New Jersey.

Also, they got this little sight.  Yeah, let me translate the second half of this sign: Wood Rotisserie.  That thing on the bottom right, that is a mock of a lamb over a spit.  At least I hope it is lamb.

Welcome to the Aegean.  Taste that salty air.  Since I was going for convention in any sense, I took my liberties all the way to the sea shore.  The beach were 20,000 Persians docked and set up for battle only to be driven back by a force half their number.  I got to see the site of the fallen cremated Athenians and Plataean hopilites.  This wasn't all the trip was about.  But it is what Greece is all about.  History.  Epics that live though the years and are still inspiring today.  And that is exactly what I need, a little more inspiration.