The Harrisons' family experience has been far removed from the lush vistas, ruddy­-cheeked romance, and carousing that will surely be celebrated on the show. "When you have kids, you don't do the Louvre," says Chris. "You do the park outside the Louvre." Chris went to the Musée d'Orsay one afternoon to see the Impressionists' work, but he waited until a day when his kids were otherwise occupied. "I stood in line for two hours," he says. "I wouldn't dream of putting them through that." Instead, Chris and Gwen have come to regard Fodor's Around Paris with Kids book as a kind of bible, far more useful than any Michelin guide.

They have also found spots they can all agree on. One of their favorite parks is the Jardin du Luxembourg, the lush strolling grounds surrounding the Luxembourg Palace with a special fenced-in play area in the southwest corner. "There's an admission charge, but it was worth it," says Chris.

The splendor and size of Notre Dame and Sacré Coeur cathedrals left the kids' jaws on the floor. After visiting Sacré Coeur, the family strolled Montmartre, the darling cluster of shops and restaurants behind the cathedral known for its old-school French charm. "There are mimes and places to buy ice cream," says Gwen, "so it's a good way to shop without the kids knowing that's what we're doing." There's also a cable car carrying passengers to the top, called the Funiculaire de Montmartre, which the kids treat like a miniature roller coaster.

"And they love the carousels," says Chris. "We've been on six different carousels in Paris, which isn't easy."

There was even a man-made carousel in the backyard of the bachelorettes' château in Houdan, France, a quaint country town. ("Man, I didn't even count that one," says Chris. "We're gonna change the name from the City of Light to the City of Carousels.") One day, the family came with him to work, and Chris killed time until the women arrived playing soccer with his son on the expansive lawn. "It was so cool having my family at work," he says, "in this completely old-school French place with tiny streets."