We walked to Mollari in Zarautz to see the old mine. It was fascinating to see the remains of how minerals were mined high above Zarautz in the mountains and then transported all the way to the coastline before being shipped abroad. In the afternoon, professional big-wave surfer Axi Muniain, gave an inspirational and motivational talk about his surfing. The next day we walked to Getaria along the coastline from Zarautz to visit Lonjan, where Oier Illarramendi gave us a talk on how surfboards are made. Axi Muniain gave us a tour of his especially prepared truck and talked us through his big wave boards. Then he took out his jet ski, attached an inflatable sofa on the back and in teams of 4 gave everyone the time of their life as they shot off around the coast. The night was capped off with an amazing BBQ, music, dancing and fun! Chelsea Griffin from Northern Ireland had brought along with her two wooden mini-surfboards that she had made herself with the 2012 Cross Culture Surf emblem painted on. Both the Irish and Basque teams all signed the boards before swapping them with one another as a memory of the exchange. Thank you Chelsea! They are great!
Thursday morning was a sad day as bags were packed and goodbyes said. Thank you to everyone who took part in this incredible exchange! We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did!