 The English canals were narrow, though, and only limited facilities could be provided.Almost 200 years before canal vacations became popular, Thomas Jefferson, then ambassador to France before he became the third President of the United States, had written to a friend about the Canal du Midi in southern France.He said, "Of all the methods of travelling I have ever tried this is the pleasantest... You should not think of returning to America without taking this tour I have taken."