(Vending Machines of Portgual, although actually notjust vending)
One week (or is it one foot?) in the Algarve and I’m pleased to share with you only the very bestbits of this incredible landscape, that’s right – the vending machines!
I’ve never been one for going crazy on holiday snaps and doubly so ever since phones took over (I think we’re even less likely to look at them and I certainly don’t expect anyone else to) but couldn’t help but take these ones…
So first up, quite a few places had these vending suites in what would have been small shops. Commercial property seems to be fairly abundant (plenty of long-term, bricked up shop fronts especially just away from the centre, bricks being cheaper than wood on the continent I’ve always assumed?) and they seemed well used. Slightly surprisingly the ones I saw were cash only.
Keep up! We’re already at the arcade, which was incredibly underwhelming but I spotted these two relative oddities;
This machine is something that seems to have come and gone. I haven’t been to Portugal before and obviously have only experienced these mostly tourist-facing areas in one small part of it. From the very minimal reading I’ve done it feels as if, allowing for a dictator or two, the laws on contraception were nowhere near as repressive as those of, say, Ireland, though abortion in Portugal remained illegal until 1984. However, this broken machine was also the onlyone I saw. It is considerably high tech for a low value vended item and perhaps that’s why its broken now? This machine must have cost the same as a second hand Fiat Uno when new!
Sometimes choice can be overwhelming. But not here;
Recently I did a post about the sad state of coin telescopes [now updated!] but here, no doubt aided by the climate, you see quite a few, like the one above, a ‘Grapho’. Two rates apply, bringing optical democracy to all.
Wondering what cigarette machines might have gone on to look like if they hadn’t been banned? Wonder no more, from the Spanish company of Azkoyen.
And then, before you know it, it’s time to go home! But standby for Machines of Ireland, soon!
