"Sorry, this is illegal in Israel."

This was the first thing I heard yesterday as I went through security at the Central Bus Station in Jerusalem. You have a *blank* in your bag. "Oh, no!" I pleaded. "That's not what you think it is." "Can you take it out?" asked the young uniform-clad military guy. "Yea, let me just find it..." I said, rummaging around in my over-loaded luggage until I found the object in question. "Also, I'll need to see your passport," he said. Dozens of people rubber-necked as they passed through the scanners, wondering what I had done to get moved behind the counter. The girl watching the scanner who had identified the innocent little souvenir shouted at the man from behind her screen. He turned to me. "Sorry, this is illegal in Israel." "Like...completely!?" I whined, afraid they were about to throw away my purchase. "It's not what you think it is. It's a *blank*. It's harmless! Look at it!" He examined it and told me he'd need to call in my information. A minute later, after my name came back as a non-threat, he dug into the bottom of my bag and placed the *blank* there. "Take this home, and don't take it out again while you're in Israel." I nodded, shoved everything back into my bag, forced the zipper around, and rushed towards Kevin and the ticket office. 

Thankfully, that was the only questionable encounter I'd had in Israel. We were heading back to Tel Aviv. 

Earlier that morning we got up and fought the cold, hard, wind to the Israel Museum--a 25 minute walk away. I noticed an abundance of one sort of plant in particular in all of the flower beds and even lining some of the sidewalks like hedges. I grabbed the top of one and brought it to my nose. "Oh my gosh. Kevin. It's rosemary!" It was everywhere. I can't keep rosemary alive to save my life, but apparently it grows freely all along the ground in Jerusalem....lucky. 



When we reached the museum, I picked up my student ticket, audio guide, and map and headed for the museum's main attraction: the Dead Sea Scrolls. The scrolls are housed in a large, dimly lit dome, and are carefully displayed to not allow much air or light to touch them. It was incredible to see how perfectly each character was written and to hear the story about the discovery of their location. 
From there we headed for the contemporary and fine arts wings, followed by the archaeological section, which was overflowing with artifacts from every major time period and civilization. We blazed through, casually glancing at Monet's work and vases from ancient Greece, not giving any exhibit nearly as much time as it deserves. We did not plan nearly enough time for this stop, and had a bus to catch. We rushed over to the grand model of the second temple, turned in our guides, and returned.

So, what are the morals of the stories? A) Don't ever buy souvenirs that look like that might be dangerous in any way...even if you're planning on checking your bag at the airport. And B). If you go to Jerusalem, visit the Israel Museum, and plan at least four hours for your trip. Trust me...it's worth it :) More Tel Aviv to come.