We already brought you part one of our list of 15 things you probably didn’t know about Angela Merkel, and now we’re back with part two! Check out eight more interesting facts about Germany’s Chancellor and the most powerful woman in the world that you definitely (probably) didn’t know. You might be surprised by what you learn!
Number Eight: She Lived Like a Squatter for Some Time. When Merkel and her first husband got divorced, she began living in an illegal apartment near a German train station. She was living here when she turned 30 years old. Her father reportedly came to visit her and said, “You haven’t gotten very far.”
Number Seven: She Is a Modest Partier. Merkel was 35 years old when the Berlin Wall fell down – well above the legal drinking age in Germany. However, while everyone else was out all night long, Merkel went to a sauna, and then she went out for only one beer before returning home. She just didn’t want to be tired for her next day of work.
Number Six: Her Husband Is Very Camera Shy. Merkel’s husband is named Joachim Sauer, and he is a professor at Berlin University. While he is extremely supportive of his wife, he is so averse to publicity that he wasn’t even present for his wife’s inauguration as Chancellor in 2005.
Number Five: She Knows How to Cook. Merkel is apparently skilled in the kitchen, and her plum cake is rumored to be very delicious. She has also been spotted grocery shopping on several occasions.
Number Four: She Is Afraid of Dogs. Merkel was bitten by a dog in 1995, so she is afraid of them. Vladimir Putin has reportedly even used his pet dogs to intimidate Merkel.
Number Three: She Really Loves Soccer. Merkel often attends German soccer games, and she even visits the German soccer team’s locker room from time to time when they win. Once, she accidentally saw popular player Bastian Schweinsteiger naked!
Number Two: She Has an Interesting Relationship With David Cameron. Prime Minister David Cameron sees himself as a close ally of Merkel, but she may not necessarily reciprocate his feelings. Cameron is the third prime minister Merkel has had to interact with as Chancellor, and while she likes his policies, there are also things she would like to change.
Number One: She Worries About the Western Democracy. Once, when meeting with a prime minister from a south-eastern European country, Merkel reportedly said that she sees similarities between the EU and ancient Inca. She focuses on competition and recovery to avoid the dreaded fate of the Incan empire. This is, of course, a simplified version of her ideology, but she has been said to use the story to shock people.