Well, she didn't really, but the official celebrations are held in June and marked by the Trooping of the Colour. Rather than watch from Horse Guards Parade this year, we elected to position ourselves at the Buckingham Palace end of the Mall to see the 80th-birthday-balcony-wave.
We arrived in time to see Her Majesty leave the Palace on her way to Horse Guards and stayed for the fly-past, ended as usual with the red, white and blue of the Red Arrows
Friday was another great day, and we spent it over the border in Bavaria. We first visited 'Eagle's Nest', the mountain retreat built for Hitler's 50th birthday. The building and access road were constructed in an amazing 13 months. The buses can drive almost to the summit of the 1835m peak and after walking 120 metres along a granite-lined tunnel into the mountain, a stunning brass-lined lift takes you the final 124 metres.
The local mayor campaigned to save the retreat from demolition after the war and it is now a restaurant. The mountains are so close around you: it is aptly named, and well worth visiting.
Inspired by a beautiful scene on a calendar last year and the fantastic day which dawned on Thursday, we took a bus to Hallstatt: a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The wealth of the village came from their salt mines, which can be toured. We choose to visit the German equivalent on Friday.
Unique to this village, and forced on them by a lack of space to expand the church-yard, was the practice of exhuming skeletons after a period and storing the bones in the charnel house. This in itself is not particularly unusual, the twist here is that the skulls were painted and named so your dearly departed was quite identifiable.
Tuesday was wet again, so we took a 2-day Salzburg Card. This is excellent value, especially for filling in a wet day, visiting museums. By mid afternoon we were at the impressive fortress, and the sun was actually shining while we were surveying the view from the roof. Just perfect for a few photos then, just after we were safely back in the fortress, the heavens opened once more.
Wednesday dawned with the possibility of the cloud lifting so we took a chairlift up the Untersberg, the 1800m mountain overlooking Salzburg. Unfortunately, the cloud did not lift sufficiently but we did get glimpses of Salzburg and the surrounds.
They were designed to drench his unsuspecting guests at an outdoor eating area and also in and around various grottos. As it was not permitted to stand in the presence of a seated archbishop, and, naturally, his seat (near end of the table) did not have a water jet. His poor guests were not so much ‘caught between the devil and the deep blue sea’, as caught between the archbishop and a thorough soaking.
The weather on Monday was a much better, so we took a train trip to Werfen, to visit the ice-caves. These are the largest ice-caves in the world and well worth a visit, provided you attach yourself to a tour that is offering an English as well as a German commentary, as it is a very interesting trip.
The town of Werfen itself is also pleasant to visit, surrounded by snow-covered mountains and dominated by the fortress of Hohenwerfen.
Salzburg in the early summer is beautiful, except when it rains!!
It was still raining next morning, so our efforts at sight-seeing were rather hampered and we identified with the little damp cherub we encountered.
It was rather fun, and brought back happy childhood memories, although we definitely were not in the same league as the person sitting in front of us, who had seen the movie 25 times!!
Milan is a good base for visiting the picturesque nearby lakes. The highlights of Milan could be fitted into one very full day. Our favorourites were the cathedral rooftop, the Monument Cemetery, 
Last Supper fresco by Leonardo da Vinci and of course the Galleria Vittrio Emanuee shopping arcade.
Lake Maggiore, in contrast could easily be a relaxing destination for several days. We enjoyed exploring the islands. Isola Pescatori was a fishing village, but now revolves around tourists. But sangria on a sunny balcony overlooking the lake is a great way to experience a fishing village! 
Isola Bella was a cluster of barren rocks, but after many man-hours is now a boat shaped island that the Count had built for his wife Isabella. 
The palace (? holiday home) he built is stunning, as are the gardens. 
Monday was scheduled for Lake Como. Sadly the day was misty, but with no wind, the lake was like glass. We took the boat up the lake to the Villa Carlotta, then on to Bellagio, which is reported to be the prettiest village in Italy. Maybe an exaggeration, but it is a cute lakeside village with narrow streets of shops, and heaps of places to eat. 
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