Departing German leader Merkel ready to have more time to read and travel

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she is ready to leave office (AP)

Angela Merkel has said she is satisfied with the timing of her departure after 16 years at the helm of Germany and is now looking forward to dedicating time to things she had to neglect during her chancellorship.

Ms Merkel said she wants to “perhaps travel a bit or read, or simply enjoy some leisure time knowing that no possible upheaval may happen in the next 20 minutes”, weekly paper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reported.