After the surf lessons in the morning on day 4, we headed to Donostia on the train. Donostia is the Basque name for San Sebastian, which has been named the 2016 European City of Culture! Linking our love for the ocean with education, we visited the amazing aquarium where we were able to learn so much about the significance of the sea in Basque culture, from the ancient whale fishing to the modern day rowing competitions. And of course, we also got to see all kinds of creatures, great and small, from big sharks to tiny jellyfish.
Today (day 5), we shared sporting traditions from both the Basque Country and Ireland. The Basque group showed the Irish how to play pelota. We then had a good old fashioned tug of war contest, a pastime that plays an important role in localised Basque sports, before the Irish group taught us how to play Gaelic Football! Wow! What a game! It’s like a cross between Basketball, rugby and football! We capped the day off with an informative surf film called “stoked and broke” that challenged and inspired us to make the best use of what we have lying around us, to be creative and to think outside of the box when it comes to stewarding our natural resources.