Stefan and Erika Svanstrom took a worldwide honeymoon -- and came face to face with the worst of what nature has to offer.
Most couples imagine spending their honeymoons relaxing on a beach somewhere, sipping on frozen margaritas. Swedish couple Stefan and Erika Svanstrom took a somewhat different approach on their four-month honeymoon: The pair and their baby daughter took a tour of six natural disasters.
The calamities weren’t in the plans, of course: Things just worked out that way. The problems started in Munich, Germany, where they were stranded by a huge snowstorm. Next, they traveled to Australia, anticipating a beautiful Southern hemisphere summer. Instead, they were faced with a cyclone in Cairns, floods in Brisbane, and bush fires in Perth.
The cyclone was a close call, Stefan Svanstrom told the Associated Press. “We escaped by the skin of our teeth.” The family was forced to evacuate their hotel and spend more than a day inside a shopping center with 2,500 others.
Then, as the family was en route to New Zealand, the country was hit with a 6.3-magnitude earthquake. Finally, they finished up their honeymoon in Tokyo, Japan—and watched buildings fall before their eyes when the country was struck by an even larger earthquake.
Although it wasn’t exactly the peaceful family vacation they had hoped for, the Svanstroms all survived the eventful journey unscathed. The vacation has made the couple certain that they can get through any issues that married life has in store for them.
“I know marriages have to endure some trials, but I think we have been through most of them,” said Svanstrom.