Ten years ago, I was on a Baltic Sea cruise. We spent an afternoon in the lovely town of Tallinn, Estonia, which was beautiful. From high up in the town, we could see the port and all the cruise ships and ferries docked there.

This is the Cathedral of Alexander Nevsky in the Old Town of Tallinn.

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Tallinn, Estonia.

The onion domes are simple yet so beautiful against the bright blue sky.

The domes of Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Tallinn, Estonia.

After our guided tour, we were allowed some free time to explore on our own before returning to our ship. I wandered the cobblestone streets of the old town, and discovered a lovely shop with beautiful hats and other handicrafts.

The streets of Old Town Tallinn, Estonia.

I purchased a simple raw linen hat. It had a wide brim that I could mold up or down, to keep the sun away from my face as needed. It was lightweight, and easy to pack. Unfortunately, I did not take a picture of the shop where I purchased the hat, which I now regret. I wore the hat in St. Petersburg, Russia, on our next stop on our cruise.

In front of the Church of Spilt Blood, or the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ, in St. Petersburg, Russia.

And then I brought the hat with me on future travels. I received many compliments on it, and I loved that it was perfect for traveling! Here I am wearing it in Kyoto, Japan.

Wearing the hat in hot and humid Kyoto, Japan.

I climbed the old city walls of Dubrovnik, Croatia, wearing the hat.

Walking the old city walls of Dubrovnik, Croatia.

The hat came with me to South Africa and I wore it when we visited wineries in Franschhoek outside of Cape Town (I’m the one on the far right).

With our group at Haute Cabriere wine cellar in Franschhoek, South Africa.

And then, the hat was gone. I do not know where or when I lost it, but suddenly it was not with me any more. For some reason I think it was lost during an airport security check, but I really do not know. I was so sad – it was the perfect hat for traveling, keeping cool and not taking up any suitcase space. And, it was machine washable!

A few years ago, I returned to Tallinn, Estonia, on another Baltic Sea cruise, and I searched frantically for that shop where I purchased that hat (now you see why I regret not taking a picture of the shop). I found many shops that sold linen goods, but did not find any with simple linen hats. Sadly, we only had a short amount of time in Tallinn, because otherwise I would have visited every shop in the Old Town until I found another hat!

Have you ever purchased an item of clothing while traveling that you then took on a future trip? Have you ever lost a treasured souvenir from your travels? Please let me know in the comments.