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Fond farewell for Queen as she ends her Baltic tour
Last updated at 13:52pm on 20.10.06The Queen's tour of the Baltics came to an end today as she headed home following her first visit to the former Soviet republics.
More than 10,000 people packed into a picturesque square in Estonia's capital Tallinn to catch a glimpse of the monarch despite the bitterly cold weather.
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The Queen's Baltic tour in pictures
It was the warmest welcome of her whirlwind trip to Eastern Europe by far, coming on the coldest day.
Well-wishers shivered as they gathered in the open air with temperatures hovering around 5C.
A huge cheer erupted from the crowd as the Queen, dressed in a peach coat with brown fur edging and cuffs, arrived for an open-air concert.
Locals maintained that US President George Bush is unlikely to get the same treatment when he flies into Estonia next month, prior to the Nato Summit in Latvia.
Piret Vosu, 30, said: "The Queen seems like a really sweet person. She's not threatening, like other heads of state.
"We've got Bush coming here next month. I doubt that so many people will come to see him."
Her thoughts were echoed by 17-year-old student Jyri Prikko.
"The Queen is much more important than Bush. She is a symbol of peace. He's a symbol of war."
The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, who headed back to the UK from Tallinn, travelled to Lithuania, then Latvia and Estonia on a trio of state visits aimed at strengthening British links with the countries, which joined the EU and Nato just two years ago.
Over four-and-a-half days, the 80-year-old monarch and 85-year-old Philip have kept to a busy schedule.
The Queen has seen three presidents, capitals and town squares, two House of the Blackheads, had one state lunch and two state banquets, given three speeches and inspected three guards of honour.
