It was then that she met the love of her life.

“One day just walking around Hersonissos, I walked past a large tourist shop which was owned by Nikos Belivanis,” she recalled. “I could say that it was kismet and love at first sight.”

Nikos and Sibylle began dating, both in Crete and Stuttgart, but her guy didn’t much care for the German city. Well, as they say, Germany’s loss is Crete’s gain, and, after two years, the couple decided to settle in Crete permanently, where they were married.

“For some years I worked together with my husband in the tourist shop in Hersonissos, and then we moved to Malia and opened a shop there,” she said. “Then in 2001, we decided to open the sports shop and it was Nikos’ idea to call it Malia Sport.”

The couple worked hard in continually improving their shop, while raising daughters Marilena, 23, a stewardess with Viking Airlines, and Athina, 21, who is studying marketing in Athens.

Then, suddenly, tragedy hit the family when Nikos passed away about a year and half ago. In honour of her loving husband, Sibylle kept Malia Sport running. “The shops provide athletic clothing, shoes and accessories for all ages and tastes,” she explained, stressing the fact that she offers name brands at discount prices. “I try to provide good service and keep in mind the economic crisis we are all going through. My work deals with the world of fitness, health and well-being. I feel satisfaction when I see that more and more people think healthy. In the past, most of my customers were foreigners but for the past few years more Greeks pay attention to their physical conditioning, and because of that we remain open all year.”