Despite the monsoon rain, despite the building site rubble, Liverpool should be proud of the reception it gave the QE2 yesterday.
It may not be the ship's actual 'home' (technically, as one emailer pointed out to me, that is Southampton), but Liverpool is the Cunard liner's spiritual home.
And people turned out in their thousands to see her at her berth by the new cruise liner terminal.
I was fortunate enough to be at the celebration concert at Liverpool Cathedral in the afternoon.
It had even stopped raining, and if you ignored the cranes, the view from St James's Mount was impressive for the QE2 passengers who were disgourged from dozens of buses outside.
Some had been on trips to Chester, but 1,500 of the ship's 1,628 passengers had opted to be back in time for the concert.
It looked fantastic inside the cathedral. I'd had quite a few calls in the morning from people desperate for a ticket - in fact, an 08 Card competition had brought in 400 entries for 300 places.
It was a shame for those who couldn't be there, but a memorable occasion for the 1,000 local people who did get in.
I was covering the event for both the Echo and for the Post (well, they did ask nicely) and had a vantage point on the bridge high, high above the nave.
The sound of the music is fabulous up there, but anyone speaking on the sound system is horribly muffled so I kept having to negotiate my way down the stairs every time someone (such as Jimmy Savile who spoke of his love and admiration for Liverpool and her people) was due to give a speech.
Lesley Garrett was in incredibly fine voice, backed by the RLPO who were themselves in top form, cathedral choir, and later by 37 brass players from the Scots Guards who had processed up the nave playing Sailing.
Seven of them appeared on the bridge a few minutes before the start of the concert, which was a bit disconcerting for myself and the Beeb who were up there with their camera.
Suddenly these seven burly men in red tunics and with bearskin hats on their heads, carrying trumpets, filed up the stairs and took up position at the front of the balcony.
They must have only been two feet in front of me, and it was interesting to check out their immaculate uniforms complete with daggers in their belts!
It was also rather thrilling to be that close when they started their trumpet fanfare at the beginning of the National Anthem, and they must have looked equally impressive to the audience far, far below.
In fact, the whole cathedral looked impressive, and I hope it gave food for thought to all those who had never been to Liverpool before - both the cruise passengers from 'down south' and the large number of Americans that seemed to be on board.
The afternoon ended in Last Night of the Proms fashion with Lesley swathed in a Union flag belting out Rule Britannia, and the audience waving their flags as they sang Jerusalem and, of course, Land of Hope and Glory.
The QE2 is coming back one last time, so put a date in your diaries for early October 2008.
