Of Benito Mussolini it was said the only good thing he did was get the Italian trains to run on time. So where was Il Duce when we needed him?

On our way to the Armed Forces Recreation Center (AFRC) tour in Germany, the train into Aviano, Italy, arrived late. We missed our connection to Verona. Two train changes plus a taxi ride later, we arrived at AFRC’s Lake Hotel at Prien an Chiemsee. The arrival dinner already had begun, but Bonnie suggested poking our heads into the main dining room before going to our suite. We did and stood in awe of the huge wall paintings of German workers placed there in 1938. Linda Bolan, our tour director at AFRC, spotted us, jumped up from her seat at the banquet table, and ushered us to join the group and partake of hearty servings of clam chowder, grilled shrimp, chicken breast, and Rhine wines—a perfect end to an imperfect day.

We had joined what was to be the last season at Chiemsee. Security issues surrounding the war in Iraq have brought the curtain down on the venerable home-away-from-home to thousands of service personnel after more than 50 years in operation.

The following morning we were off to Berchtesgaden in a bus filled with retirees and spouses. Busses ain’t my thing, but if ever a bus ride were pure joy, this was it, as we rolled through the Bavarian Alps while someone else did the driving. We visited Adolph Hitler’s Eagle Nest, a 50th birthday gift from Nazi Party Chief Martin Bormann in 1939. Hitler visited the aerie only five times, and though the exterior of the structure appears stark, inside the appointments are lavish, and the views of the Alps from its many decks are spectacular.

At the nearby Salzbergwerk, we donned miner’s leather shirts and trousers before taking a 75-foot plunge down a wooden slide—eyes wide, Bonnie shrieking all the way—into the salt mine. Saltwater was trapped there millions of years ago when the Alps lifted above sea level.

In Munich the next day, we watched the Glockenspiel’s figures twirl and heard its chimes, visited cathedrals, and had lunch and beer at the famous Hofbräuhaus. After a sobering visit to the nearby Dachau concentration camp, we headed back to Chiemsee, most of us sitting in quiet contemplation of that testament to cruelty.

We ended the week hitting some of the many lakes and castles, including Neuschwanstein Castle, which Walt Disney used as his model for the castle at Disneyland. Later we toured beautiful Salzburg, visiting many of the sites used in making The Sound of Music. And yes, we all sang on the bus!

Our vacation ended in Garmisch at the Patton Hotel, which also is slated to close, but there will be an alternative at AFRC’s new Edelweiss Lodge, opening this fall (see “Where to Stay”). We quickly discovered you never need to leave the Garmisch locale to have a great time. The golf course, ski slopes, and great restaurants will keep you entertained for many a day.