My little brother Dom (well he's actually my big brother, but who's counting) and his band "Nocna Smjena" (Croatian for "Night Shift" Have recently completed their first European tour. . .

In typical Dom fashion he missed his plane home from Germany and although he was meant to be home on Monday he'll be arriving some time tomorrow (if he remembers to get to the airport on time)

My mum stumbled upon this article he wrote for a Croatian Newspaper and I thought I'd share it with you all. . .

NOCNA SMJENA'S CROATIAN ODYSSEY (I)

On the 3rd of May 2005 , Melbourne tamburica band 'Nocna Smjena' set off on a life-changing trip across three continents, over 20,000km to become the first ever Australian Croatian band to perform professionally on the Croatian tambura scene. The following is the first of a two-part series depicting the personal account of the 'Nocna Smjena' band members' journey to and their experiences in Croatia ..... By: Domagoj Goodbye Australia ... Good morning Croatia ! Months of planning, decades of practice and days of anticipation have all built up to this one climactic moment... I, Domagoj , 27 of Melbourne , Australia , am leaving my country of birth to meet my mother country for the first time... an event that will no doubt change my life and my perspective on the world. It is an experience we all (Nocna Smjena) will remember dearly. In the final rush before we leave to the airport, I'm experiencing a mixture of emotions. Leaving my family, friends and girlfriend saddens me... seeing Croatia for the first time excites me. I'm a bundle of nerves but the rush to get everything done takes my mind off it all. I imagine the guys are experiencing the same feelings. Before I know it, I - together with Andrew, Steve and Julian - am standing at the doors at Departures. I'm in disbelief that it is me leaving... for years I've imagined what it would be like to be on the other side. Thankfully, I'm surrounded by the band members with whom I've built a strong bond over the last few months. It all seems surreal to all of us. Approaching the doors that lead to 'airside', my father quietly tells me, as I'm leaving, ''Pozdravi mi Hrastovicu''. My entire life I've listened to stories about this little village next to Petrinja, where my father grew up... my father's words somehow confirm that this is real. I cover my face to hide the tears. I take one last look at my family, my friends, my girlfriend and, together with the guys, turn my back and walk away. We board Austrian Airlines OE-LAE. Goodbye Australia . As I look around the plane, I can see the excitement in the eyes of the band members. Amidst all the excitement and tension that is so often associated with travel, there is the added excitement of knowing that we actually did it. This is something the band is very proud to have achieved.   THE WORLD IS A BIG PLACE The flight seems to have taken forever and we're only halfway. I'm already considering staying in Croatia to avoid doing it all again... the service is great, the food is better than I imagined,.. but the flight is so damned long. As we fly over the Middle East I ponder the events that are taking place. I'm closer to Croatia than ever, and further from home than I've ever been. It's night and we are flying over the largest city I've ever seen. I flick through the channels to see the map... Delhi in India . Andrew, Steve and Julian have all drifted off. The excitement has subsided and fatigue has set in. As I look over Delhi , I imagine all the millions of people down there and realise just how small we all are in the whole scheme of things. The world is a big place and I'm in the middle of nowhere.   GOOD MORNING CROATIA After more than 20 hours of flying, we are finally over Croatia . The clouds mask her landscape and I eagerly await our plane's descent. The air staff announce that we are approaching Zagreb and our plane slowly descends through thick cloud... the entire time my nose is pinned to the window as I eagerly search for a hole in the clouds to get my first glimpse. There she is. Finally we are face to face. Croatia is not beautiful... she is absolutely stunning. As I look down, the lyrics of our song go through my head and I realise our dream is actually becoming real. What was just a song, has become real in front of my eyes. Dobro Jutro Hrvatska! After landing in Zagreb airport we make our way through the city of Zagreb to our temporary residence in the old part of Zagreb 'Gornji Grad'. I absorb absolutely everything around me. The signs are all in Croatian, the people all look Croatian, even the Graffiti is in Croatian. Yes this is real... we have made it. Upon arrival to our room, I can't help but notice the church I've seen so many times in books and postcards. The church that has the 'hrvatski grb' tiled into the roof is there right before my eyes. Crkva Svetoga Marka overlooks our residence... WOW! After leaving our luggage in our room, we bravely make our way out onto the Trg Ban Jelacica in search of food. Hesitantly I approach a young waitress, some 18 years old, at a cafe and ask her if they serve food. Her expression is blank as she bluntly answers ''ovo nije restoran, ovo je caffe'' and hastily continues with her chores. I get the impression she recognised us as tourists before I even said a word... I suppose the cameras hanging around our necks gave it away. At that moment I realised... I'm a foreigner.   CROATIAN NIGHT CLUBS We've now been in Zagreb for a few days. Tonight we are going to a nightclub called ''Hemingways''. I'm hoping it will be something along the lines of a Croatian disco in Melbourne but I'm not holding my breath. I expected more Croatian music in Croatia, but the reality is I've never listened to more English music than in Zagreb... I'm not expecting much Croatian music at all. We are being escorted by two local Zagrepcanke, 'Martina' and 'Anna' who know the ins and outs of this part of town. At the door, a not so intimidating security guard leisurely scans us for weapons with a metal detector. We push through the doors into a crowd I've never seen before in Australia. Common courtesy of letting someone through does not work in this place. As we make our way to the bar it's every man for himself. Elbows, knees, hip and shoulders and push and shove seem to be the norm. For the first time I feel a real cultural difference between Melbourne and Zagreb. The crowd is so rough I anticipate a fight or an argument over spilled drinks, knocking someone's girlfriend but it does not eventuate. This simply would not happen in Melbourne. Guys half our size 'try' to push through and the girls use any tactic imaginable to get drinks. I claw my way through the crowded bar kicking and screaming for service. In true Melbournian fashion, I order double everything to avoid having to come back to the bar. What a madhouse! Oh... and the music... no it wasn't Croatian.   GYPSIES IN ZAGREB It's a cold rainy day in Zagreb and I have just seen something that simply could not happen in Melbourne. A young gypsy girl no more than 13 years old begging for money on Ilica Street . She is squatting on the ground virtually naked. She covers her breasts in embarrassment holding out one hand for money. Her mother who is breast-feeding a baby sits next to her. I feel obliged to report this but the locals tell me there is nothing they can do about it and to simply ignore it. I find it odd that it's allowed. (TO BE CONTINUED)