Eating Alone in Strasbourg

I was by myself in Strasbourg and thought I would splash out on a nice meal. I always feel like a bit of an idiot dining alone, but decided I wouldn't let this dissuade me from eating well. I'd only been seated for 5 minutes when another lady also dining alone sat down at the table next to mine. We struck up a conversation, and she expressed surprise at finding another sole lady diner. She said she regulary dines alone due to the travelling nature of her job, and that I was the only other lady she had ever seen eating by herself.
What is it that makes us feel stupid when eating alone in a restaurant? Is the self consciousness that we have from worrying about what others are thinking of us, and why we don't have any one to dine with? Is it just having nothing to do while waiting for your meal? Or is it more than that?
Anyway, turns out she was a fascinating lady. She was a program director for a travel company and travels Europe for six months of the year, then spends the other six months living in the Caribbean. She speaks six languages fluently and is learning a seventh. She described herself as 'happily divorced', and free to travel the world. I would love to be living her sort of lifestyle when I am her age. Thank you Katerina for making my sole dining experience so enjoyable.