(Very) Clean Streets

We hadn’t been in Oviedo long before we realized that keeping the streets clean is a very big deal here. There is a wide array of civic street-cleaning equipment, and small vans with rotating brushes make the rounds past our apartment two or three times a day, every day of the week. Workers sweep up with old-fashioned, witchy brooms, but also power wash the streets and public trash bins regularly.

A convoy of street-cleaners

Power-washing

Cleaning the waste bins

The determination of these clean-up efforts was most apparent early on New Year’s Day. We live near one of the main party zones in town with lots of bars, and celebrations were still going strong when we woke up at 8am. By 9am the street-cleaners were coming through, having to wind their way through party-goers, who were just beginning to straggle home. By 10am there was no trace of the mighty revelry that had gone on the night before!

Revelers at 8am (sunrise is 8:55am!)

Street-cleaner and revelers face off at 9am

And sweeping, too

Vans are state-of-the-art, brooms more traditional

Making a neat line

So the van can gobble it up...

and in action!