Traditional and Proud to be British.

With modern cruise ships bringing ever more spectacular technology, innovative concepts and ground breaking features designed to amaze and astound, I found it interesting to read about the sheer volume of people which turned out to celebrate the arrival of Cunard’s Queen Victoria upon her return to Merseyside.

A rare two-day call by Cunard’s Queen Victoria at its ‘spiritual home’ of Liverpool had a rousing send-off with an estimated crowd of twenty thousand people lining the Mersey to see the ship sail! – Twenty thousand people!

Queen Victoria made the first overnight call at Liverpool by a Cunard ship in nearly 50 years over 30-31 May to celebrate the 100th year to the day of the maiden voyage of Aquitania, acclaimed as the most striking four-funnelled liner ever constructed and known as the ‘Ship Beautiful’, which sailed from the very same Liverpool berth on 30 May 1914.

Queen Victoria’s two day stay began in dramatic fashion with fly-board champion Jay St John zooming 50 feet up in the air, propelled by two water jets attached to his feet, to exchange salutes with the Cunard Commodore at the ship’s bow!

The Aquitania anniversary celebrations culminated with a dazzling fireworks display against the backdrop of the city’s Three Graces, the Royal Liver Building, the Port of Liverpool Building and the Cunard Building, where the company had its headquarters for over 50 years until 1967 and which was especially illuminated for the evening, which together now form a UNESCO World Heritage site.

On 31 May huge crowds began gathering along the waterfront as Queen Victoria prepared to sail. A quayside performance by local opera singer Danielle Thomas brought the visit to a climax as the ship sailed at 4pm to waves and cheers from the twenty-thousand-strong crowd.

I found it quite heart warming to see so many of us Brits taking to the streets, flying the flag and celebrating a part of our history which these days could so easily be forgotten. It makes a pleasant change to see us standing proud and blowing our own trumpet for a change – after all no one is going to do it for us right?

Let me know what you think.