Upon entering the abnormally well-tailored building, we quickly realized that this wasn't just any ordinary coffee shop like the chains we would walk by during our commutes downtown. The modern design and upscale atmosphere combined with the gloriously clean and well-made couches and chairs and the soft rock music made for quite the setup. Indoors was an overly shiny marble staircase that led to who knows where, and a bathroom with waterfalls for sinks and mahogany detailing. The restaurant portion housed long tables fit for large families and held hardly any people save for one family who seemed to be celebrating something. Outside was the pool, with it's cerulean blue water and beach-like entrance, complete with tiki huts, colorful yet sophisticated lounge chairs and its own bar. Here, there were some people, though not as many as we found in the coffee portion, most lounging on chairs and mostly women.

We went back onto the patio and sat down at a table for the "coffee shop" experience and noticed a few strange looks, mostly from the waiters. I actually don't think these looks had anything to do with being foreign, I think it was related to our age. This was not an ordinary coffee shop, as I said before. Its quality and design indicate wealth and exclusivity. Being teenagers, we were clearly out of our price range and our league. And as I looked around I realized that we were the youngest group there. Most people we saw were middle aged, with a few exceptions. The youngest that I saw appeared to be in their late 20's, possibly early 30's, but just about everyone there looked like they belonged. I also noticed that there seemed to be more men. While there wasn't an overwhelming difference in gender, there was a notable discrepancy. The men were mostly in groups of 3-4, and were dressed fairly nicely considering it was a Sunday, not a workday. I did notice a few couples, who lounged on the couches, bordering on what would be considered indecent exposure back home. But I guess that's just a cultural difference here. We save our overly affectionate moments for private. They feel it's necessary to share it with everyone! It also might be related to the fact that Greeks usually live in the same apartment building as their parents, even into adulthood, so maybe it's hard to get privacy at home? Either way, these couples had no shame. We also noticed that here it wasn't as open as most coffee shops, where the patio has a clear view of the sidewalk and street outside. This patio was surrounded by a sort of impermanent wall, which I suppose was to offer privacy and preserve the quality of the shop.


Though I haven't really been to many coffee shops in Greece, all it took was one glance to realize that this was no ordinary caffeine stop. The overly showy atmosphere was clearly too much for anyone affected by the financial crisis (unless people burn through their credit to appear wealthy) and to be honest, it was too much for my taste. Despite it's uniqueness, Da Vinci differed from no coffee shop in Greece in that it serves one main purpose: socialization. Although I'm sure the coffee is good and the pool feels nice, I don't believe I'll be making another visit to high class Da Vinci...except maybe to use the waterfall sinks in the bathroom...
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