May lightens Brexit mood with birthday gift for Merkel

BERLIN (Reuters) - Prime Minister Theresa May, perhaps hoping to lighten the mood in what are expected to be challenging talks on Britain's exit from the European Union with Angela Merkel in Berlin, has given the German chancellor a birthday present. May's office said that as usual there would be no formal exchange of gifts during the visit, but the British leader had given Merkel two books "reflecting their shared interest in hiking" - Coast to Coast with Wainwright, and Great Mountain Days in Snowdonia - to mark her 62nd birthday on Sunday. May is said to enjoy hiking trips to the Alps, while Merkel often holidays in mountainous South Tyrol, a mostly German-speaking area of northern Italy. The two are also daughters of Protestant clergymen. Berlin is May's first trip abroad since she became prime minister last week following Britain's vote to leave the European Union. She can expect tough talks with Merkel, who has shown no sign that she will make things easy for post-Brexit Britain. May's meeting with Merkel includes a working dinner at the chancellery. On the menu: tuna with mango chutney, quinoa and avocado; veal with mushrooms, vegetables and potatoes; marinated wild berries with ice cream or cheese and grapes. (Reporting by Elizabeth Piper; Writing by Giles Elgood; editing by Stephen Addison)