A wedding cake raised the spirit of migrants on board the private rescue ship Life Support, operated by the medical charity Emergency. The people on the board the boat had endured several days of bad weather. On finding out that there were a couple of newlyweds on board, the crew of Life Support organized an impromptu party for the couple and their fellow travelers.

The boat reached the port of Ravenna at 3 pm on Monday, September 25 with 28 people on board. Those rescued were almost all Syrian nationals who were rescued in international waters while they were crossing the Mediterranean on an overcrowded rubber dinghy with a broken engine.

The 'honeymoon' of hope for a future elsewhere

A group of Emergency crew members had the idea of celebrating the recent nuptials of the couple (he is aged 30 while her age is unknown), who are both from Damascus. Their honeymoon ended up being a journey of hope towards a future abroad.

The couple got married at the end of May and about a month later started their journey towards Europe, thanks to the money they were gifted for their wedding. Crew members, to whom they told their story, said the couple first traveled by car through Lebanon, Egypt and then Libya, where they stayed for about a month.

Eight days ago, they departed from Misrata on a six-meter-long boat before being rescued by the Life Support crew.

Bad weather

"Many difficulties" were reported on board the Life Support due to bad weather conditions and the "long navigation in the Adriatic Sea", crew members said after reaching Ravenna.

"There were times when the waves were very high", the trip was "intense" so, in order to raise passengers' morale, "we prepared a wedding cake that was shared by all,", the crew explained.

The couple's dream is now to reach Germany to join the groom's parents, who have been living there for a while. "She loves illustrations and would like to continue in that sector, the husband would like to complete his studies in medicine," a crew member said.

"They were fine when they disembarked; they gave each other strength during the most difficult times, in particular when the dinghy they were traveling on stopped in the middle of the Mediterranean, in the dark. Today, they were relieved to be in Italy and hopeful they will be able to join their family in Germany. Although what will happen next is still unknown. The next chapter of their life is sure to be full of uncertainties."