As journalists we typically get caught up in the politics – the legacy, the punditry, the need to make grand statements about “what it all means”. But I doubt that I’m the only reporter reflecting on a more personal level today; Angela Merkel has been in power for all of my professional career (and nearly all of my adult life). A few of my own lasting highlights:Enter, stage right18 September 2005 In a televised debate on the night of the election, Merkel’s irate predecessor Gerhard Schröder seems convinced, despite his party’s narrow loss, that he should remain chancellor. Merkel appears unflappable – and takes his place two months later.Exit nuclear, stage left14 March 2011 Merkel announces a moratorium on nuclear energy in the aftermath of the Fukushima nuclear disaster. It’s an uncharacteristically impulsive decision, ushering in an “energy transition” that remains complicated for Germany to this day; nuclear power, after all, doesn’t emit greenhouse gases.