Not the Mr. Whippy van.
A couple of times a week our street gets a visit from the poo vacuum van. Having a suburban upbringing I was ignorant to the existence of such vehicles. In the burbs neighbourhood dogs were free to poo on their front lawn and the defecation was left to the owners to contend with. But here in Berlin there is a little tiny council truck that looks like it came out of your childhood Richard Scarry picture book. The truck drives up and down the paved footpaths pausing at every tree to suck up excrement. The actual sucker is similar in look and sound to a leaf blower but obviously works in reverse. The tiny truck is in hot demand. There are a lot of apartment dogs in Berlin and very limited poo space. The tiny patches of dirt that you could loosely call a nature strip are very quickly full. The arrival of the van is a great relief. Long before you ever see the van, you can hear it. The distinct stopping and starting of the suction drone, becoming louder and louder as it nears your block. It’s not dissimilar to the suburban tradition of waiting for the Mr. Whippy van. You would always hear it long before you’d see it. Your anticipation and excitement growing stronger the louder the music became. Although the poo van offers no such treat, its imminent arrival has that same effect.