Australia's tilting diesel train | The Spirit of Queensland | Townsville to Cairns
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- Опубліковано 19 чер 2024
- Find out what it's like to travel by train between Townsville and Cairns in Far North Queensland on the diesel Tilt Train - the Spirit of Queensland.
In this video you'll get to take a look at both the RailBed (a lie-flat bed) and economy class seats; discover the food and drink options; and get to see the wonderful scenery along the way.
Travelling between Brisbane and Cairns five times a week, the Spirit of Queensland helps people reach the Great Barrier Reef, the Whitsundays, Townsville and Cairns.
Although the diesel tilt train has a top speed of 160kmh/h, the track between Townsville and Cairns has a line limit of 80 km/h with the tilt train permitted up to 100 km/h. However, the average speed is much slower than this.
The Spirit of Queensland is operated by Queensland Rail.
See my RailBed review here:
• Spirit of Queensland R...
Spirit of Queensland timetable:
www.queenslandrailtravel.com....
Spirit of Queensland fares and bookings:
queenslandrailtravel-booking....
#SpiritofQueensland #QueenslandRail #ThisIsQueensland
🚉 Train: The Spirit of Queensland
🚉 Operator: Queensland Rail
🚉 Locomotives: Diesel tilt train
🚉 Seat: Car F, Seat 15
🚉 Route: Townsville to Cairns via the North Coast Railway Line
🚉 Distance: 340km
🚉 Travel time: 6 hours 37 mins (scheduled)
🚉 Class: Economy
🚉 Travel date: 9 November 2021
EQUIPMENT:
🚉 Camera: GoPro Hero 10, GoPro Hero 8 and iPhone 12 Pro Max
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
01:32 Townsville Railway Station
02:37 The Diesel Tilt Train
03:55 Boarding and seat tour
04:33 Departure and announcements
07:58 Route to Cairns, train and line speeds
08:54 Shower and toilet tour
09:40 Canefields railways
10:25 Train walk through including cafe / galley
11:32 Ingham including comfort stop
13:30 Sugar mill and cane railway crossings
14:28 Food options and ocean views in Cardwell
15:59 Lunch and tilting system
16:50 Tully including comfort stop
18:26 RailBed tour
19:18 Tully to Innisfail scenery
20:05 Entertainment system and cane train
21:00 Innisfail including comfort stop
22:40 Rivers, rainforests and mountains
25:10 Road vs rail
25:40 Mulgrave Sugar Mill and Gordonvale
26:42 Townsville to Cairns fares
27:20 Approach to Cairns and final announcement
28:25 Final thoughts and arrival in Cairns
30:53 Kuranda Scenic Railway and Millaa Millaa Falls
Image credits:
OpenRailwayMap:
www.openrailwaymap.org
Information sources:
www.queenslandrailtravel.com....
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diesel_...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_C...
Wikipedia
Sugar cane railways:
www.lrrsa.org.au/LRR_SGRz.htm
The Workshops Rail Museum, Ipswich
Extra thumbs up for being thoughtful of other passengers when you film! Great video as always 😊
Thank you! 😃
Australia is one of my favorite countries❤
Happy to hear that!
Video is Just Wow and I am speechless !!!
I am the early bird 🐦🐦 to watch and like this video.
Thanks Adam Joyce for informative and amazing Video.
A lots of love from India 🥰🥰
Thank you so much! Lovely to hear! :)
YEAAAAAAAA FINALLY SOME NOTICE OF THE SPIRIT OF QUEENSLAND!
Yay! 🥳
I did the Kuranda rail journey southbound to Cairns and I agree, its great!
Yes, beautiful. 😍
@@FromtheWindowSeat I did the Skyrail Cableway up and then the train (Gold Class) down. Stunning scenery.
Adam, your videos are very well done! I haven't seen very many train review videos of this quality from Australia. Including the announcements from the staff in their entirety is a very nice touch. I would love to see some reviews of the loco-hauled services in Queensland. Carry on, and thank you from the US! Subscribed.
Thank you - that’s great to hear. Yes, hoping to get back up to Queensland later this year.
Very enjoyable Adam, I like the name tags pointing out the rivers and other interesting sites.
Throw in a couple of staff interviews and a driver view and this would very easily be an afternoon travel documentary that I would be happy to watch on TV 👍
Thank you so much. That's definitely something I'm interested in doing - just requires a lot more planning to organise. ;)
A very nice video. I've taken this rail bed service from Brisbane to Cairns. Absolutely loved it, and would love to do it again.
Thank you! That’s good to know - glad to hear.
I would like very very bery much to do this trip... thanks for video 📹 can't wait 😊
I hope you do!
That was very interesting Adam...:):):)👍👍👍
Glad you think so. 😎
What a pleasant and informative narration of your journey. Loved it.
Thank you! Wonderful to hear. ☺️
Hi Adam, just found your channel today. I have to say your content is amazing and informative. Production is excellent and I find that the space you leave in your videos to take in the details of what you are presenting make watching the video as relaxing as a train ride.
Two vids in and a fan already. Great work.
Thank you so much … it’s really wonderful to hear that! Hope you enjoy my other videos too. Cheers!
Well presented as usual Adam.
I particularly appreciate you highlighting rivers, mountains etc.
Thanks Jeanette!
This was a very enjoyable video, start from finish. You have a way with words that makes you enjoyable to listen to. I enjoy that you give lots of scenery shots without talking as well. I'm definitely going to stick around and watch more. Was a great way to finish my afternoon off! Much love from Townsville :)
Thank you! Very kind of you to say. ☺️
Great vlog looking forward to the next one thanks for sharing
Thanks for watching!
Loved this video. Thanks for the great work mate! I look forward to doing this qr journey hopefully soon
Great to hear that. Thanks for watching!
Hi Adam thank you for video train really good loved those lay down seats hope you had a good trip.
Thank you Maureen. Yes, it was a wonderful trip.
Glad to see your video.
Planned since 2020 to travel Spirit of Queensland.
Finally August 2022 travelling from Cairns to Brisbane rail-bed service.
Your video is very informative. and we’ll produced.
The additional information is excellent.
You have covered every aspect of the journey.
Wonderful to hear that. Hope you enjoy your trip and it was worth the wait. 😃
Beautiful way to travelled and explore our beautiful country thanks for sharing 👍
Thank you!
Thanks Adam. Another awesome well informed video. Its good to see this video wasn't shot in the GoPro 3D settings so you get a real view of the countryside and not a spherical look.
Thank you Brian. It was actually shot (partly) in the GoPro fisheye / wide mode ... but I found a plugin that can remove the effect during editing. ;)
The wet season and lightning storms in summer up in the tropics was an incredible experience for me. I didn't see Townsville buy I did see port Douglas and the daintree. Taking the kuranda sky rail and train while it was raining was a hell of an experience.
Sounds wonderful. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for another brilliant and relaxing video. I travelled by train in 1988 from Rockhampton to Cairns. Always remember the chickens roaming the train tracks at Tully Station 😆
Thank you!
I've been on this journey. This vid brought back my memories. I highly recommend tsv to Brisbane.
Oh cool - one day! :)
Thank you. This was absolutely awesome. Love from a new Gordonvale local ❤️🙏🏻
Great to hear. Thanks for watching!
Terrific video of what is basically my link to the south as i have lived in Cairns for 35 years ex Melbourne.
I have done the return trip to Townsville and also one way to Brisbane in a rail bed. No complaints about either.
Thank you! Yes, need to try the railbeds one day.
Oh no! Another broken espresso machine! But another great travelogue.
I especially enjoy the announcements in full. Don’t know why, probably because it helps put me there on the train too! Living vicariously has its limits however. I’ll have to put this one on my bucket list.
Thanks again Adam.
Yes, I haven’t had much luck with coffee machines and trains. Haha.
Thank you for the feedback - appreciate it!
Never seen the Coral Sea before, beautiful!
It is. Cheers!
Interesting and informative, you really do a great job of these Adam.
Thanks so much!
Another great video Adam.
I appreciate that - thanks!
Babinda bakery has lots of yummy goodies to choose from!
Sounds great! 😋
Thank you very much for the video. Very clear and informative. I have a booking on this train in June and am looking forward to it, though I'll be travelling in the opposite direction, Cairns to Townsville. A pity the magnificent station there is no longer used, like a number of others on the QR network, I was intending to travel further south a couple of days later, to Proserpine, but QR have reduced services by a couple of days a week. One of the three train sets used is going to be withdrawn for maintenance. I guess one of the problems also is as you described, the heavy seasonal rainfall can create havoc with timetables. Like you I'd rather travel by rail any day rather than the bus, even if it always tends to be slower in Australia. It's a relaxing, smooth form of journey, with civilised amenities on board like the cafe.
Really great to get that feedback - thank you. Yes, the railways of Queensland and NSW have certainly been tested by the severe weather of late. I didn't know about one of the sets going in for maintenance - interesting.
Thanks for sharing , Adam. My wife and I visited cairns in 2008.We hired a car and visited Innisfail, Port Douglas and the Atherton Tablelands including Mareeba and Atherton.The Millaa Millaa Falls have been used for several commercials.
Sounds like a great trip. Thanks for watching!
Dear アダム Adam; Good Day!
Ur You-Tube is useful information n fun.
"どうも おおきにい (Dohmo Ohkiniy)i" Thanks a lot .
Watching at ur You-Tube makes me feel like I'm also traveling: n it makes me want to travel by the trains.
Have the nice trips by the trains, and take care!
Sincerely,Tomeaki Kyooka from Kinki-Kansai region in Japan.
Hi Tomeaki. Thank you so much for watching and your message. That’s lovely to hear. I’m hoping to visit Japan at some point to travel on some of your incredible trains. 😁
Wonderful video Adam, thank yo for sharing :)
Cheers!
This is a trip I've done numerous times in the rail bed section Brisbane - Cairns return and always love it. Thanks Adam for bringing back memories. I just want to say though I found it difficult to listen to the background music and your commentary at the same time. Looking forward to more train journey videos you bring us!
Glad you enjoyed it. I'll have to try the railbeds one day. :)
Isn’t it strange what annoys one person, doesn’t annoy another… I guess you can’t be everything to everyone… good job Adam!! I think your vlogs are so very well done.. music and all!
I agree, especially about the music.
Omg I have wanted to do this trip for so long thanks for making this vid
You’re welcome. I really enjoyed this trip. 😃
@@FromtheWindowSeat I can tell I’m thinking cairns to Townsville because I’m from the cairns area
Cairns is my home town and as part of our pensioner package, we get two free trips a year to Brisbane. We do have to pay a booking fee of around $25, but what the heck! I've used the free service about 4 times in 20 years. Sadly, I'm not keen on the long trip in economy, but the trip to Townsville is short enough to be bearable. Thanks Adam.
Hi John. Yes, it would be a long trip in economy. I’d definitely want a RailBed. But the trip to Townsville is a good compromise. Thanks for watching!
I would agree that the economy seats would be comfortable for the Townsville to Cairns bit, but I would want the bed if going all the way to Brisbane.
@@Ryanhothersall Definitely. I’m hoping to try the RailBeds in the future.
I honestly forget how lush, green and wet the east coast is. Especially after living in SA for so long. The climate in Queensland and Northern NSW is just mind boggling for me, it's just so different to anything I see in SA.
Yes, I thought the same thing as we got further north on this trip.
love this❤
Thank you!
What an awesome trip this would be to experience FNQ from a different perspective🙌
Yes - I really enjoyed it. :)
Enjoyed the video mate. Great job
Thank you! Cheers!
Thanks for a great video of North Queensland. I have wanted to do this trip for years, alas, it will never happen, now due to life situations.
Thank you. Hopefully living vicariously was helpful.
Enjoyed the video very much.I am hoping to get to australia this fall and travel mostly by rail and some air.
Thank you! I hope you make it and enjoy our trains and planes!
내가 여행한것처럼 생생한 정보네요 케언즈 기차여행 계획중인데 안성맞춤 채널을 찾았네요. 마치 지금 내가 여행하고 있는 착각을 하게 만듭니다 고맙습니다
Wonderful to hear that. Hope you enjoy Queensland!
There was a long curved bridge that crossed Ross Creek on the southern approach of the old Townsville Train Station when you could see the full length of train as the train turned. These were the days of the old Sunlander and it was a large diesel loco that would be pulling about 14 carriages so it was quite impressive. The carriages would tilt as it took the curve and if you looked straight down from the window you would see the water directly below and not the bridge. Enjoyed your video.
Thank you. The Sunlander would have been a great experience.
@@FromtheWindowSeat it was pretty average in the economy seating! Travelled Gladstone to Townsville in 2006.
FNQ - Stunningly beautiful. So wish we could move up there!
It really is! Can’t wait to return again.
Except for December to end of March summer...
I live here in townsville and I enjoy my trip to brissy and return..
Great. :)
They should build a resavor in Tully to catch the rain water 😊
I believe there already is. Koombooloomba Dam is a reservoir further up the Tully River. 🤔
Ok m8 thanks for the info
Woah is this my lucky week? I get to see the SP of QLD and then the Ghan tomorrow on Rory’s channel. Too bad that I have school now so I won’t be able to watch now and give my honest opinion. Will do it later😀
I look forward to your thoughts!
Sadly the line north from Townsville has not received the love it needs to support 120+ operations. The Electric Tilt Train between Brisbane and Rockhampton is still worthwhile...
Fair call. 👍
Great video Adam, I like the background music tremendously - it's your signature. I don't have the patience to take the train that far. Are you going to post a Kuranda video? I did the journey in 2014 and would love to see it again!
Thank you! Great to hear that feedback because one person complained about the music. Unfortunately I didn't travel on the Kuranda Scenic Railway this time - I've been on it a few years ago but that was before I started making videos.
In case you haven't seen, I've published a video about the Kuranda Scenic Railway. ua-cam.com/video/VerOeMhAC24/v-deo.htmlsi=ceZ4j2Sgxv0jorOx
Thanks Adam, watched the video with happy memories! Thanks for remembering me, you are so kind.@@FromtheWindowSeat
300km in 6 hours. As a Canadian I would feel right at home.
🤣🤣🤣
I have worked at the 2 mills you mentioned
Oh wow. What was that like?
Welcome to Cairns. I am living in Cairns.
Thank you. Lovely place to visit!
Theoretically you could see the ocean at Clairview south of Sarina but this section is normally traversed in darkness.
I see. Well, good to know!
G'day Adam. How did you find the arm rest on the economy seats? I find they are too low to be comfortable for long distance travel. The staff, on the times I have travelled in economy agree with me. They need to be level with the mid ridge under the window. I used that as my arm rest on my trips. I good vid from you, thanks.
G’day Robert. To be honest, I don’t really remember either way. In many cases I don’t use them because they are too low or high so perhaps that’s why I didn’t notice. Thanks for watching!
Good video. I have one criticism. Some of the graphics at the bottom of the screen are overlaid by the subtitles, making the graphics unreadable. One of the songs in the video is "All I Want". Who recorded it?
Thank you. Yes, the challenge with subtitles is that depending on the device you’re viewing them on, they won’t be in the exact same position. I’ll have to look into that more. The music track is called Positive Fuse and the artist is French Fuse. 🎵
Too many ads , but I have it a thumbs up !!.
Thank you - appreciate that!
Great video but damn is this train hard to get a couple of one way tickets Brisbane to Cairns. The website is a nightmare to navigate and at the end nothing available. We would have loved to do the trip by train but even 6 months in advance tickets were not available. Oh well c'est la vie.
Oh wow. Yes, it seems to be popular, particularly in RailBeds.
Great video!
Is Townsville close to Porthaven and Castleburg? 🙃
Thank you!
Not close but perhaps they are sister cities. 😅
@@FromtheWindowSeat Do you have details about how short the platforms there are? 🙃🙃🙃
@@andreawoelke Ha - I'm afraid not. Just what they told us on the train (that Cardwell was short ... the others were all long enough to accommodate the full train).
Andrea, I live in Townsville, North Queensland, Australia, where this video started. There is neither of those places anywhere here. I know there is also a Townsville in North Carolina of the USA.
With the Third La Nina about to hit Australia.....I wonder if Tully's record for rainfall will be kept....or go to another town ?
An interesting journey, looks comfy, I think if I was gonna eat a hot meal, I would eat it in the cafe, rather than at the flimsy-ish economy seat table
Hi Heather. Yes, that’s an interesting point. Guess we will have to wait and see! I’m hoping to take this train again but for the full length from Cairns to Brisbane and in a railbed. Will be interesting to compare. 🤔
@@FromtheWindowSeat I would like to see that, as I wonder with no real privacy how do you deal with snorers ....on keeping valuables safe.
I realise that's a problem in economy too😂...and I am sure the snoring would be louder..on even worse...LoL🤣
@@heathertruskinger6214 Well to be honest, I’m not expecting to get a huge amount of sleep! 😂 And I’ll need to remember earplugs. 😉
@@FromtheWindowSeat 😂😂😂
If I wanted communal sleeping pods, I'd catch a plane. As dated as the XPT, at least it has optional sleeping berths. Certainly doesn't hold a candle to the old Sunlander!
Fair call. 🤔
I realy hope this flooding doesn’t effect my trip at the end of may I was suppose to go last year but couldn’t due to covid lockdown and now there’s flooding 😭
Fingers crossed!
Question? When was this trip made and how current are the prices? Thanks
The trip was made in November 2021 and the prices were correct in March 2022.
Done it a few times from Townsville-Cairns, always had strangely polite crackheads asking me things about how their concession cards work for the train trip among other things.
Oh dear! Thankfully the people I encountered, all seemed okay.
What's your skin routine on these long train trips?
Just a daily moisturiser in the morning.
Looks an interesting but very slow journey
Yep. That’s it.
A bit like an XPT but with one locomotive instead of two.
It has two power cars (one each end) so just like the XPT in that regard.
I,ve been on the tilt train 4 times ,and its not relly advisable to tilt when you are going so slow,I often felt like jumping out and running ahead to tell them we were coming
Haha!
Can you take your car on these train in Queenslands rail system.
I’m afraid not.
are you related too rory ding ?
No, I’m not. But yes, we make videos on similar topics. 🤔
Would anyone actually ride from Brisbane to Cairns 25 hours for any actual reason?
A plane from Brisbane to Cairns is 2 hours, 4 hours if you factor in time spent at the airport.
Just a question.
Yes, my understanding is that quite a few people do and the RailBeds often sell out. Some people don’t like flying or prefer the train for a range of reasons, such as being able to walk around, mobility issues etc.
Great video. Always enjoy your commentary.
Not all that impressed with the train with no proper sleeper. Not sure those seats in Business recline enough for this creaky body. How quiet is it and would you get rowdy passengers ?
Honestly I’d rather drive over 3 days and get 2 nights in a proper bed at a motel than sit up for 24 hours not able to sleep. And the speed - average 51 kms. Geez. Australia really needs to improve our tracks or rail will slowly die for these long trips.
Still looks a good day time journey. I could do that.
Thank you so much! I guess it's always luck as to who the other passengers are. I think the train travels a lot faster on the southern section of the route south of Townsville. The train itself was relatively quiet although the passengers in my section were quite talkative - although it didn't worry me and I also had noise cancelling headphones. ;)
The average speed is only between Cairns and Townsville, after that it is much faster. I did the trip two weeks ago from Cairns to Brisbane (just for something to do - caught a flight back to Cairns 8 hours after arriving in Brisbane). The seats in Business class recline to 180 degrees and are over 6' long - I know as I am 6'3". The night time part of the journey was very quiet, obviously apart from the train noise itself. Both of us slept very well and the food and service was excellent. The business class seats (RailBed) are not that expensive and I cannot recommend them highly enough!
@@bing3253 Sounds great! Hope to try the railbeds one day.
hallo adam
Hello.
It is in general, a beautiful train that blends well in the breathtaking scenery. But I do have to admit that averaging 51 km/h and taking more than 6 hours to travel along one of Aus's most essential railways is unacceptable. I really hope that Queensland Rail conducts some large scale upgrades to this section of track such as minimizing twists and turns or giving Tilt Train the priority over cane trains so as to likely increase its speed and cover the distance in something approaching 3.5hrs to cover 350ish km. Also, is that some kind of heritage railway at 26:18?
Fair points … although the train has much higher speeds south of Townsville. The comfort stops at many stations (which I enjoyed) also contribute to a low average speed.
26:18 Good spot! I think the Mulgrave Rambler was a steam-driven cane train that tourists could ride on but I think it’s been closed for some time. You can read a bit about it here: www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/gordonvale-20040208-gdkqdx.html
@@FromtheWindowSeat Sure thanks for the link. Just a wild suggestion for your next video but can you try out the Syd-Bris XPT? I know the service is generally quite erratic and slow but I guess it’ll work out.
@@axan50transportproductions I’ve got a few trips already locked in and my understanding is that the XPT isn’t running into Brisbane but terminates in northern NSW while the Cross River Rail works are under way in Brisbane. But it’s a trip that would be cool to do.
@@FromtheWindowSeat Ah I see. I did hear about the track works north of Casino some time ago. Anyways, can’t wait to see what has been planned.
"Inches"???
I’m not sure what you’re referring to without a time code? The rainfall in Tully?
Nice video except for the music. 😖
Thank you! Yes, music is always subjective … I receive comments from people who really like it as well as those who don’t. It’s a balance to get it right. 🤔
Yeah safer to use train and not drive to tsv cause you might not have a car by the time you leave.
Eek! It felt pretty safe when I was there.
@@FromtheWindowSeat youth crime is pretty bad here but besides that it’s a pretty nice town and great video btw
@@bigbob9187 I see. Thank you!
you do a good job however, and not your fault...I am reminded again why my soul died in Australia. The old cities have some great cultural buildings, lovely architecture from before WW2. Anything after that in Australia even down to the fencing looks like military barracks. So depressing. When i was born in Ipswich the town was lovely, the the wreckers came in. Only Warwick had that true Australia as it was meant to be. Northern Qld is fibro and timber sheds for buildings. Lots of tar and cement footpaths...soul destroying.
Architecture is very subjective but appreciate what you are saying. However, it’s interesting that some people love buildings others loathe and vice versa. 🤔
So, an average speed of 50km/h? What exactly is the point of having a tilting train? Sounds like just a marketing gimmick to pretend its high speed.
@@K1W1fly Bro, tilt train is just a piece of technology for great comfort and higher riding index. But the essence of traveling lies in Serene and scenic videos not in Speed
@@tprashaant no. You don’t get speed and this service will slowly die.
@@andyrob3259Thanks for your concern AndyRob. I am working as an Engineer in Indian Railways. I know the limitations of metre gauge tracks. As far as Speed is concerned it depends upon several factors viz. Type of locomotives , Coaches ,track conditions, Speed restrictions and gradients etc.
The track between Townsville and Cairns uses lighter rail and has lower speeds, however the track between Townsville and Brisbane is heavier and has sections where the train can fully utilise the tilting mechanism and reach its top speed of 160km/h. Regardless, the tilting aids passenger comfort. The other reason for the slow average speed is the length of stops ... if these were reduced then the train's average speed would I increase quite a bit.
Note to Queensland Rail (And airlines too)...... the people travelling on your service are "PASSENGERS"....not CUSTOMERS.....aggghhh.
Ha. Fair enough. Although you can be both a passenger and a customer … the two things are not mutually exclusive. 🤔
@@FromtheWindowSeat True enough, but for the vast majority of people on board.... I'm sure you get my point.
Rather xpt and it’s price. That takes too long and is WAY too expensive.
I think you can get $50 tickets on the Townsville to Cairns section. That’s the slowest section of the route because of all the cane railway crossings and the lighter track used.
Sad to see that the old station is no longer used. The new one is very ugly in comparison.
That’s progress haha
😈 JOKE 🇨🇳 CHINA HAS A FLEET OF 345 TRAINS THAT DO 300 KILOMETERS PER HOUR AUSTRALIA JOKE 😈
China also has more than 50 times the population so not sure the comparison is valid. 🤷♀️
Guys, My tip, Look ahead and buy a plane ticket with jetstar or virgin for $99 dont waste hours of your life in this stupid train. My mate was onboard a few years ago when it really tilted. RIGHT OVER ONTO ITS SIDE. The rails in qld are too narrow.
Pretty sure the accident you're referring to was caused by the train going 112km/h on a curve with a 60km/h speed limit - it's not the fault of the rail gauge per se.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cairns_Tilt_Train_derailment
Jetstar doesn't fly from Townsville to Cairns. Neither does Virgin. Are you suggesting flying to Brisbane and changing planes? That will take as long as the train and cost a lot more than $99.
@@paulkennedy8701 True - and Qantas charges $170 for the direct flights.
U going to Cape Tribulation☀️
Yes, it was beautiful.