After 5 days of Carnival madness, Rio returns to real life
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The world's Carnival capital is picking up the pieces after five straight days of decadent parades and raucous street parties.
Street cleaners are out in force in Rio de Janeiro to erase the last traces of nearly 700 street Carnival parties. Rio's Comlurb waste management company has collected some 300 tons of garbage from Rio's streets throughout the five-day-long festivities.
Many revelers are swapping their costumes for office wear, as the shops, and offices that shuttered during Carnival re-open on Wednesday.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}But those reluctant to return to real life still can await this afternoon's announcement of the winner of the samba school competition. Twelve schools wowed spectators with their thumping percussion sections, imaginative floats and sexy samba queens at two all-night parades Sunday and Monday at Rio's iconic Sambadrome.