To eat at a fancy restaurant with the one pair of clothes I have left or to not eat there.....

So I checked into my hotel with hardly any belongings.  I had made a 7pm reservation to eat at the Polo Ralph Lauren restaurant in Paris almost two weeks ago.  It is a very very fancy upscale restaurant.  And mind you, now all I have are the pair of jeans I have now wore three times on my trip and a shirt I have worn twice - not exactly the outfit you want to be seen in at the Ralph Lauren restaurant.  But I decided to go and show up in my dirty clothes because after this unfortunate train experience I needed to treat myself and end my trip on a good note.  I was slightly embarrassed and horrified walking into the restaurant but I mustered up the strength to do it and walked in with a smile on my face.

I'm so glad I went because I had the best dinner - a delightful piece of filet mignon in a Zinfandel balsamic glaze with mashed potatoes and house vegetables all for the low low price of 55 euro!!!! At least tip is included in European prices!!!  But it was seriously the best filet I have ever had.

Now it is almost nine at night and I don't have a toothbrush or toothpaste, contact solution, contact case, etc so I head down to Monoprix and purchase the essential toiletries to get me through the night.  All the while making sure I purchase carry on sized items since I have no bag to check and I don't want to throw all this stuff away since it was a tad bit expensive (the contact solution was nine euro which is equivalent to almost eleven dollars for a travel size).

Be prepared for lots of questions at the airport and customs when you try to take a long haul transatlantic flight with no luggage when your passport indicates you have been in Europe for two weeks!!!!  Thank goodness for the police report to validate  my responses to the authorities when questioned why I'm traveling with no baggage.

The flight home was good and that Saturday I spent tons of time filling out insurance claim forms and purchasing a new wardrobe. 

My amazing race was perfect, despite the train incident - I'm not letting it deter me from traveling - I still love France and everything about it and can't wait to go back. 

PS - I really miss this dress!