"I notice that you don't turn your face away from a kiss," said President Milan Kusan to the President, Mrs McAleese, as he embraced her. It was, he said, a great sign of her humanity.
That was at the National Gallery in the Slovenian capital on Thursday night and it - the sentiment, not the kiss - was delivered via an interpreter. Yesterday the President of Slovenia took the Irish President deep underground into the caves of Postojna, a world heritage site. They were accompanied by their spouses, the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs, Mr Ahern, and many others. All donned woollen capes for the journey, 200 metres under the mountain.
It was the start of a day of sightseeing before returning to Dublin last night. President McAleese was full of praise for Slovenia's beauty, diversity of landscape, cultural heritage and unspoilt resorts.
She said she was particularly pleased to be visiting a country that was even smaller than Ireland, and she congratulated the Slovenians on the celebration this weekend of their 10th anniversary of independence.
Her three-day state visit was dominated by the Irish referendum result, which caused great disappointment. While some observers here say there is also admiration for Ireland as a small national standing up for itself, Slovenian politicians are aggrieved at the consequent delay and uncertainty. Apart from the controversy over the abolition of duty-free shops, which may go to referendum, there is strong support in Slovenia for EU membership.
The presidential party also visited a 12th century church at Hrastovlje to view the frescoes, painted in 1490 but discovered only 50 years ago. From there the Irish motorcade sped to the coast and into the picturesque old Venetian town of Piran. There wasn't a mention of Nice or the referendum as the Irish strolled through the tiny cobbled streets with outdoor cafes.
But as the President and Dr McAleese emerged from the town hall there was a shout: "Mrs McAleese, we are tourists from Dublin!" Two couples, one bare-chested man, all in shorts and all over-exposed to the sun, rushed to shake the President's hand. "Aren't you a panic," she said, before posing for photographs.