Goodbye politics, hello vacation!
Even politicians need some downtime now and then. From bare-chested Siberian stream-wading to dreams of Disneyland, DW takes a look at how political leaders spend their holiday vacations.
Donald Trump
The US president has a plethora of options to choose from when it comes to a vacation on the links, since he owns a slew of golf clubs, including in Scotland (above). To escape the DC humidity - and the heat of the Russia investigations - Trump jetted off to his New Jersey resort. The president critized Barack Obama for taking too many holidays. Trump's 17-day retreat is a "working vacation."
Vladimir Putin
The Russian president tends to take vacations where he can show off his physique. He headed to Siberia for his 2017 summer holiday, bringing along a handfull of media that photographed and filmed the statesman spear-fishing, boating and catching some Siberian sunshine. Russian citizens could share their leader's vacation experience: Putin's outdoor pursuits were broadcast on TV.
Angela Merkel
Germany's chancellor is a woman of habit. For the last decade, Merkel and her husband have headed to north Italy's alpine region in summer. She always packs her trademark hat, referred to by German media as the "Kanzler-Käppi" (Chancellor Cap). Merkel's vacation made headlines in 2014 when she broke her hip cross-country skiiing. In April 2006, the duo enjoyed the Italian isle of Ischia (above).
Theresa May
Like her German counterpart, UK Prime Minister May is also a keen hiker. In 2016, she meandered through the Swiss Alps with her husband (above). However, May took what is arguably her most famous walking holiday in April 2017, when she headed to national park Snowdonia in Wales for five days. After returning to London, she immediately called earlier national elections.
Emmanuel Macron
Macron won't be taking a summer vacation - at least, not in August 2017. Instead, the relatively new French president will spend the month trying to persuade parliament to pass his controversial labor reforms. However, Macron and wife Brigitte relax when they can. Above, the pair share a laugh in April 2017 while heading up a French alpine slope to take a mountain-top campaign lunch break.
Justin Trudeau
The Canadian prime minister may be a media darling, but not all his vacations have gone over well with the country's citizens. His New Year's trip to the Bahamas drew criticism when it was revealed that he had taken a private helicopter, an ethics violation, to an island instead of using a government aircraft. Trudeau stuck closer to home in summer, heading to Nova Scotia with his wife (above).
Mariano Rajoy
Vacation could not have come soon enough for the Spanish prime minister, who appeared in court in July 2017 to provide witness testimony in a fraud and bribery case involving his conservative People's Party. After a press conference, Rajoy headed to the western region of Galicia, his usual holiday getaway location that lies on the other side of the country from the would-be independent Catalonia.
Robert Mugabe
Zimbabwe's long-term autocratic president doesn't take a vacation without receiving a dose of criticism. This is due to the fact that his country is facing its worst economic depression since 2009, yet the 93-year-old still heads off the grid for over a month every winter, handing struggling Zimbabweans the bill. His 2017 trip to Singapore in early 2017 reportedly cost the country $6 million.
Kim Jong Un
The nuts-about-nukes ruler of North Korea is confined to his internationally-isolated country, but that doesn't mean he can't dream of taking a vacation. Kim reportedly has been obsessed with Disney from a young age, and Japanese media said that he may mave visited Tokyo Disneyland as a child in 1991 using a false identity. He appeared on state-run TV with a Mickey Mouse look-alike in 2012.