Le Ségala, Aude. Stream-side. 2009

Painfully basic and stripped of any basins or elaborations. Tucked away on the northwest of the bridge over the Canal du Midi into Le Ségala, it's virtually invisible to automobile traffic over the bridge. We saw it while walking along the towpath on the south side of the Canal.

Auvezines, Tarn. Well-fed. 2009.

So basic we drove past it almost daily over three years of visiting Cuq-en-Terrasses and never noticed it.

Auriac-sur-Vendinelle, Haute-Garonne. Stream-side. 2009.

This was a real shock, the only seriously vandalized lavoir we've come across. It's also one of the most brutalist in architecture as well. Even the bus-stop lavoir in Montègut has more style.

Fougax-et-Barrineuf, Aude. Plumbed? 2009

Really handsome, even without the extra added attraction of the elderly shirtless man exercising his eye for the ladies on a tiny mo-ped.

Varen, Tarn-et-Garonne. Spring-fed. 2009.

Perhaps not exactly a lavoir, but too cool not to include. Plaque by the entrance suggested this was a well in Roman times.

Bèze, Côte-d'Or. Stream-side. 2009.

The more interesting of two lavoirs spotted in Bèze, at least in terms of siting. No basins or internal structure remaining; just a bare platform spanning about 2/3 of a circle. And there are swans.

Blessey, Côte-d'Or. Plumbed. 2009

A tiny temple to clean clothing, with a resident goose to keep out the riffraff.

Menades, Yonne; hill-top town lavoir. 2009.

Lots of elaborate plumbing -- fountains, watering troughs -- and multiple skylights. Everything but the roof looks quite new and we did notice an apparently roof-less lavoir on a small stream just downhill along the Rue des Lavandières.

Island, Yonne: stream-side lavoir. 2009.

A simple lavoir in a quiet setting; the view through the back wall window is especially pretty.