Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Hello Suomi - State Visit to Finland, Day 1

Photo: Jean-Christophe Verhaegen / SIP
It's state visit time! This morning, Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, accompanied by a delegation of politicians and business people, travelled to Finland for their three-day state visit to the land of a thousand lakes. (And yes, I totally used "Suomi" in the title because I have no idea what "Hello" means in Finnish. Can one of you enlighten us?)

Photo: Jean-Christophe Verhaegen / SIP
In Helsinki, the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess did what one does on a state visit: At the airport, they were welcomed by the Finnish Minister of External Trade and Development, Lenita Toivakka. Then they proceeded to the presidential palace where they met with President Sauli Niinisto and his wife Jenni Haukio, their hosts for the coming days. Together they heard the national anthems and greeted the delegation before Grand Duke Henri and President Niinisto reviewed the guard of honour. After the traditional exchange of gifts, both couples appeared on the balcony. 

And that was apparently it - apart for the gala dinner, of course! (But we don't have pictures of that yet, so we'll cover it in an extra post. Keep your fingers crossed for a much longed for tiara appearance!)

Galleries of visuals at Wort, the government, Tageblatt and RTL.


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