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Galia Brener
March 24, 2017
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The Alfa Romeo “Red Night”

The Alfa Romeo “Red Night” https://www.galiabrener.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/RedNight_LowRes.jpg 1800 1350 Galia Brener Galia Brener https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/93df0625fa48660aad1c99698d5d7757?s=96&r=g March 24, 2017 April 12, 2017

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The night that I have been waiting for a few weeks has finally arrived. “Red Night” in Frankfurt was all about cars, speed, party, innovation, Frankfurt, Italy, food, drinks, VIPs, music and fun! I have been looking for a proper red dress for over a month, but being the underground rebel that I am, I settled for an all black number, designed by my good friend Marina Reimann. The Red-Thursday arrived and I made my way to the modern Alfa Romeo showroom, located on the cool industrial Hanauer Landstrasse.

For those that know me, know my insane love for cars, especially sports cars. Therefore one huge question that came to my mind was: How can a “SUV-Alfa Romeo-Sports-Car” possibly look like? This was the same question that I am sure many had asked – quite intriguing and very mysterious. Therefore I packed all my gadgets and latest technology, threw on my wild black dress and set off on my adventure!

Upon my arrival, I noticed the chic red carpet laid out in the front entrance, leading inside and awaiting the fabulous guests to arrive. There were large spotlights hanging around the carpet, giving the perfect glam effect. The Stelvio was hiding underneath a black magic cape, waiting to be revealed and admired. Inside, the tables were adorned with delicious food to be savored and enjoyed. The bar boasted a nice variety of drinks and the beautiful hostesses were running around in enticing red dresses. Everything was set to perfection and the “Red Night” was quickly filling up with a cool crowd. Within a half hour, over 250 guests had arrived, and the DJ was spinning a nice house beat, making it quite easy to relax and enjoy the atmosphere.

Staying true to their roots, the Italians were at the event as well, representing their love for design and heritage. I met the Alfa Romeo CEO and his lovely wife and both were quite impressed by the great turnout in our awesome city. I could see it in his eyes, he was very proud of their new Stelvio, especially when the car was unveiled and everyone was clapping loudly.

I got a chance to speak to Michael Bergmann, the branch manager, and he told me a few very cool things about the Stelvio. The thing that intrigued me the most was the fact that this SUV actually behaves like a sports car. Meaning that it feels, drives, is built and reacts like a sport car and not a typical SUV. The interior gave me the same impression as well.

The International media described it as: “launched under the name Stelvio, it is the brand’s first SUV in over a century of history. Set to become the benchmark for the segment, the new model encapsulates the authentic Alfa Romeo spirit, incorporating the five ingredients that make it one of the world’s most desirable brands on the automotive stage: distinctly Italian styling; innovative, state-of-the-art engines; impeccable weight distribution; unique technical solutions; and an outstanding power-to-weight ratio.“

After my rendezvous inside the car, I made my way downstairs, and I noticed that the entire showroom was packed with curious, happy, laughing and dancing people, which is always a sign of a good event. I also loved the fact that everyone wore one red element in their outfits, perfectly matching the Red Night theme. Frankfurt is stylish and we Frankfurters love to have fun!

After revving up the engine a few times, trying out all the different dishes – at least 5 times around – and having some champagne sips, I looked at my watch and noticed that it was way past midnight, yet many of the guests were still there. Nobody wanted to leave because they were having a great time. As I went outside to film the goodbye part in my video, I looked up and saw the beautiful bright yellow Commerzbank Tower shining brightly at me, beckoning me to it. I really enjoyed my Red-Night-Dressed-In-Black evening! It was fun to see the cool Stelvio, meet new people and enjoy a lovely evening in my favorite city. All in all, another awesome Thursday evening in our small cosmopolitan city with a big attitude!

Check out my video of the Red Night event below – brought to you by Secret Pocket Society TV.

Many Hugs,

Your Gali

Galia Brener
September 18, 2015
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IAA Diary: Tuesday 15.09 – Maserati/Zegna party and the pre opening of the Matrix!

IAA Diary: Tuesday 15.09 – Maserati/Zegna party and the pre opening of the Matrix! https://www.galiabrener.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Maserati_Matrix.jpg 1200 400 Galia Brener Galia Brener https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/93df0625fa48660aad1c99698d5d7757?s=96&r=g September 18, 2015 November 9, 2015

Frankfurt was wild on Tuesday night. It seemed like the entire city was on edge and nobody wanted to sleep at all! The weather was getting a little colder, but the amazing events in the city made everyone hot with excitement. I was happy to have my best friend join me for an unforgettable evening in our favorite city! We planned this crazy little adventure from the first day the invitations arrived.

Our first stop was the chic Ermenegildo Zegna store located on the Goethestrasse. This fabulous Italian designer – who creates timeless pieces for men – joined forces with Maserati to bring us the glamorous Italian flavor on this chilly evening. As we arrived the store was already full and popping at the seam with Frankfurt VIPs, celebs and stylish cool people. The location was lined up with beautiful new Maseratis outside and men with chic black Zegna suits protecting them. Knowing my love for cars and choppers, I got stuck in front of the cars, observing every little detail and gadget – I was very impressed! Inside the mingling was already strong in action. As we stepped in, we were given a glass of cold rosé champagne and delicious bites of Venchi Italian chocolates. Not to be missed in action were both CEOs – Gildo Zegna and Harald J. Wester of Maserati. The guests were enjoying themselves – drinking and shopping simultaneously, smiling and having a good time. The event was organized by Frank Kuhlmann, who did a great job of bringing the interesting people together. I enjoyed looking at the new collections that Zegna had on display. I fell in love with a particular dark gray wool suit – fit for a king, or at least James Bond! I was happy to see many of my acquaintances, which I have not seen in a while, chat with them about life and also meet new interesting people.

As the hours passed, we had to rush to the next event, which was the pre opening of the Matrix Pop Up Club. I didn’t know what to expect but was very excited to see the venue, because Madjid Djamegari was posting little teaser bits on Facebook during the week and the photos looked fantastic! The Matrix concept was brought into life by the Gibson Club and Audi – two brands that are definitely in the lead with trends and innovation. When our car dropped us off at the pop up location at Ludwig-Erhard-Anlage, we couldn’t help but get excited about the view. The entire building facade was glowing a bright crimson red! The front lawn was decorated with a hot red Audi R8 to match. It looked like we arrived at Dracula’s winter palace. As we walked down the red carpet, we were greeted with open arms by a smiling and very happy Madjid, along with Markus and other men in black. We had a nice chat outside and the gentlemen welcomed us into their special event.

The beautiful new Audi A4 Quattro was presented on the ground level in the middle of a bright white spherical area. The contrast of the red car in the white dream-like sphere was amazing! The surreal journey was starting. We were handed a white Audi bracelet, told that this shall be our close companion and guide throughout the night. The elevator doors had white laser lights and a bright red interior, which took us to the top level of the adventure. As we got out of the lift and stepped into the room, it was indeed like stepping into the Matrix! My breath was taken away for a few seconds. We found ourselves inside of a large dark round room, with an intrinsic dome roof. It was made of many squares that got smaller towards the peak. On these squares were numbers and digits running down, like a code being generated in the Matrix! It felt like being in an ancient building in Rome, but directly in the heart of Frankfurt! DJ duo Andhim were situated in the middle, surrounded by a large bar area. The floor had computer motherboard-like marks, which were glowing with interchanging white and red lights. On the outer edges of the room, there were futurist virtual reality stations, waiting to take the VIP guests on an Audi tour in another galaxy. On our way to the bathroom we stumbled into a secret room with black light activated art on the walls. There was a bar with a huge variety of gins and tonics. Apparently this was the infamous gin room offering its many different delights.

We met many friends there and everyone was excited about this amazing pop up club and opening event. I haven’t seen Frankfurt this excited in a while. There was even a cool area, which offered fresh pulled meat burgers and other tasty delicacies. The DJ team did an excellent job of playing a nice deep house set, sensual and rhythmic, just the way I like it! All of a sudden, everything went pitch black, our bracelets started flashing a wild sequence of white and red colors and the dome roof came to life! It was glowing, flickering and changing with intense colors – a light show to remember! Everyone was cheering. Wow what a rush! I couldn’t get my eyes away form the dome, I was hypnotized! The drinks were flowing, the beautiful people were happy, chatting, networking, flirting and dancing. I would highly recommend for you to visit the Matrix Pop Up Club before it’s gone – it will surely be an evening you won’t forget!

The party was still going strong, as I was getting ready to go. I didn’t want to leave the matrix yet – I wanted to stay in this magical wonderland forever. But the clock struck 12 and Cinderella had to run home. Dear Frankfurt, you never cease to amaze me with your dark delights, your bright surprises and your ability to metamorphose like a radical chameleon. I love you, my favorite small cosmopolitan city with a big attitude.

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Ermenegildo Zegna & Maserati event:

Matrix Pop Up Club pre opening event:

Photos from the Matrix Pop Up Club Facebook page:

Galia Brener
July 6, 2015
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24H-Race Nürburgring 2015 – Team Falken – Part 2

24H-Race Nürburgring 2015 – Team Falken – Part 2 https://www.galiabrener.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Falken_Part_2.jpg 1200 400 Galia Brener Galia Brener https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/93df0625fa48660aad1c99698d5d7757?s=96&r=g July 6, 2015 December 23, 2018

It felt amazing being stuck behind the fence and box directly at the edge where all the cars were passing by. It gave me a huge adrenaline high to hear the loud engines and feel the wind blowing from the speed of the cars! As the drivers were making their 5^th round, I decided to abandon my post and head to the rest of the Falken Team. Everyone asked me where I was, because they saw my live blogged video, which was taken directly in front of the cars as they started the race. I gave them a mischievous wink and went to put on the fireproof racing suit.

Since this was my first 24-h race, I was surprised at the length of the pit stops. They averaged about 2-4 minutes with lots of action the entire time – I loved it! The Falken Team was in top form and had everything under control. The pit stops were done fast, because everything was planned in advance due to weather conditions and surprise changes – from very soft, soft to medium tires. The hours passed by quickly and the tension was rising. It was midnight and we decided to go back to the hotel to rest for the big finish tomorrow.

On the way back, our beautiful Falken representative Christina Bien decided to give us a tour of the camping grounds around the racetrack. Here is where the action takes place at night, with everyone drinking and partying. As I was walking around, I tripped on something and fell. Everyone started laughing and I didn’t understand why. I looked down and saw that I tripped on a wooden penis statue! Apparently the men place this beside the fire to attract women to mate with them. This is not a joke, they really placed that wooden penis there! Beside the fire I saw a tiny little motor bike, and as I was about to leave, a Neanderthal-looking man came up to me and said that little bike has lots of power and vibrate really good in the all right places. His friend was grilling huge pieces of meat. He stabbed a knife into the meat, picked it up, started chewing like a barbarian and smiled with one open eye at me. It was time to leave! ;-)

The next morning as we were approaching the track, we saw many G-strings lying on the road beside the camping area. I don’t want to now how many babies were produced that night! Maybe even Neanderthal-Penis-Man got lucky, but somehow I doubt that. I was very happy to know that Team Falken was still in 3^rd place after racing the entire night! I threw on the fireproof racing suit and ran back to the pit boxes. As the day progressed, the drivers were coming back into the Falken VIP Lounge, and I had a chance to interview Peter Dumbreck after he drove at night.

I asked him how does it feel to drive at night: He said, “Driving at night is more relaxing. It’s a nicer feeling. There is something special about being awake at night while everyone else is sleeping. However, the downsides are the newer inexperienced drivers at night. They are cautious and don’t drive as fast which makes it difficult to overtake them, therefore we get caught in traffic. There is a bit of an action hero feeling, and you are wired and awake.” Then I asked Peter, “What do you think about when driving at night?” He laughed and said, “I think about random things. Tonight I had many hunger pangs and thought to myself why didn’t I eat that last banana before driving!” He paused with a short smile and said, “Then you force yourself to focus again, because other thoughts can cause mistake and accidents. If you’re in the clear and no pressure from the car behind, then your minds drifts away. I sometimes even look at the scenery, and then force myself to concentrate again. It’s an automatic reaction. The 3 laps before the end is when the traffic is a real nightmare. The drivers are tired and that makes them slow down.”

Claire, Peter’s wife was there too, so I asked her a few questions to get some more personal insight into the driver’s family life. I ask what concerns does she have when he is racing? She said, “I want him to do well. We have been together for 20 years now, and after such a long time I am not worried about crashing anymore. He is an excellent and skilled driver. However one worries about how he feels after the race. If the team manager is happy, then peter is happy and his family is happy.” Claire and Peter met in 1995 at the British Formula 3. She comes from a racing family and they have this shared hobby – which is a blessing to have in a relationship. There is a close community of the driver’s wives, and when accidents happen, they are all impacted by it.

As the race was coming to an end, the last half hour was very nerve wrecking! Team Falken was strong at 3^rd place, however with the team behind it coming very close to them! There is a high appeal in racing on the Nordschleife. It is one of the most challenging racetracks in the world with many elevation changes. On an average, 160 cars begin at the 24-h race, and only about 100 cars make it to the end. 30 cars wipe out in the first hour of the race!

The 24 hours ended and Team Falken came in at 3^rd place! That was a nice progress from last year, when they finished at 4^th place. Everyone in the pit box was cheering and screaming! I have never seen such happy men before in my life! Some threw themselves on the floor and started kissing the used tires, the rest were picking each other up on the shoulders and ran around like wild little children. I ran to the front of the pit lane to make a live video of the drivers celebrating. Amazing results Team Falken! Also amazing for me that I won the bet with my friends. It was a very exciting weekend, which I shall not forget for a long time. I congratulated the Falken Director for their victory and all the drivers for an amazing race. The black Mercedes picked me up and drove me back to my little cosmopolitan city with a big attitude.

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Galia Brener
July 6, 2015
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24H-Race Nürburgring 2015 – Team Falken – Part 1

24H-Race Nürburgring 2015 – Team Falken – Part 1 https://www.galiabrener.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Faklen_Part_1.jpg 1200 400 Galia Brener Galia Brener https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/93df0625fa48660aad1c99698d5d7757?s=96&r=g July 6, 2015 December 23, 2018

My doorbell rang and the driver came upstairs to help me with my “little” suitcase – packed full to the brim for this exciting race weekend. He laughed at how much a woman needs for two days. Since the weather in the Eifel region is like an angry mistress, one doesn’t know if it will rain or shine. I had to pack for three days, and two seasons. Thankfully I did so, because it was a cold weekend in the outside, yet very warm, exciting and hot on the inside – at the pit box. The amused driver ushered me into the black Mercedes Benz, and we took off toward the Nürburgring, which would be my thrilling home for the entire weekend.

We arrived at the beautiful Seehotel Maria Laach. Sticking to my usual routine, I grabbed my lucky red bikini and headed straight to the wellness area to relax and prepare for the Falken opening event. The Benz shuttle drove us to the Nürburgring, where Falken had its VIP lounge inside the building. The first evening was reserved for the special welcome greetings for both guests and press. The top Falken management from Japan was there, presenting their company to us and giving the drivers a good luck speech before the big start! The mood was very cheerful and the people were giddy with excitement before the big race! There were about 90% men in attendance, and the rare woman here and there. I didn’t complain about that, and I actually found it very fascinating and funny to observe the men in their natural habitat. The drivers introduced themselves on the stage, and spoke about their goal for the race. Last year they came in 4th, and definitely wanted to do better this year.

Before I came to the race, I made a bet with a few friends that they will come in 3rd this year, and I was curious if I would win. After the introductions and delicious dinner, I went on a mission to find the Falken drivers and ask them some questions. That’s when I first met Peter Dumbreck, Wolf Henzler, Alexandre Imperatori and Martin Ragginger – who were driving the Falken Porsche 911 GT3 R for this race. I was pleasantly surprised to see that they were all very friendly and quite the open and social team. They seemed easy-going and very confident about the race. Peter said they had a tradition to drink one beer for good luck the night before the race. We laughed a bit, made some jokes about the racing rituals and I wished the team good luck!

The next day we had a nice race-breakfast. I ate clean all weekend without any carbs and felt quite good about it. We headed to the Nürburgring for the morning press conference with our Falken team. The drivers were very calm, happy and reassured with their answers. One could not see or hear any doubts, stress or nervousness at all! Bravo to them! I was very impressed by how well they could control themselves. That’s the first sign of top professionalism, when one can control their actions and emotions before such a big challenge!

We got a chance to drive directly on the Nordschleife with a huge bus before the race started. I was skeptical about how fun it would be to drive the track on a bus, but I was pleasantly surprised! Our driver turned out to be a little daredevil and pushed the bus to its limits. It’s a funny sensation to test out the bus’s hydraulic system on such a difficult racetrack. The Nordschleife has many challenging elevations and curves, and allows the drivers to pretend that they are driving on a rollercoaster. However, our bus driver had mistaken the bus with a Lamborghini – so it was definitely a fun bus ride to remember!

Back in the pit box, everyone was moving in a hectic and excited pace before the race started. Press and camera crews were to be seen everywhere! Fans, drivers and their lovers were scurrying around, making sure nothing was forgotten. I bid our team and drivers good luck for the big race and left to get a proper viewing spot. I made my way to the commando central boxes, because I wanted to be directly at the front when the race started. I managed to hide myself between the fence and the box, so that nobody would see me. The cars were lined up and it was seconds before the race was about to start! The engines were revving and my heart was beating faster and faster. Everyone was sent back into the pit boxes and I was the only person left so close to the track, because nobody saw me. Little rebel-in-good-girl-disguise-me, always in the middle of the action!

3, 2, 1…. A LOUD VROOOOOMMMMMM… and the race started!

To be continued…

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Galia Brener
June 6, 2014
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Audi Sport Night

Audi Sport Night https://www.galiabrener.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Audi_R8_feature.jpg 1354 437 Galia Brener Galia Brener https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/93df0625fa48660aad1c99698d5d7757?s=96&r=g June 6, 2014 April 12, 2017

Frankfurt has shown it’s fabulous side once again this week, and the highlight was focused on cars, a concept store and literature. What I really love about our city is that there is always something fun and exciting happening just around the corner. Not only do we have a gorgeous skyline, but we also have sophisticated events that are accompanied by lights, camera and action! However, the trick is that Frankfurt does not open up its beauty and warmth to everyone, so for those that truly love our city – congratulations! That means that the city has opened up to you, and loves you in return.

My exciting week started off with the classy Audi Sport Night. The event was held at the Charlot and Operncafé, two lovely restaurants alongside the grand Alte Oper building. As we arrived, two pretty ladies dressed in black wrapped an Audi bracelet around our wrists, and welcomed us inside. The music was floating around the relaxed spring night, and the service team was handing out drinks, while showering the ladies with charming Italian compliments. The beauty that I saw in front of the restaurants immediately possessed my attention, and I walked away from the crowd. On display was a beautiful black Audi R8 Spyder! Being the notorious car lover that I am, I could not step away from the car. I walked around it a few times, admiring it in all its glory. I approved the 10-Spoke-Y-Design rims, and passionately touched the smooth shiny black lacquer with my palm. I probably looked funny, caressing the car over and over again, but I didn’t care. The R8 Spyder is there to make love – preferably going over 250 km/h on the Autobahn!

The girls came back outside and dragged me away from my beloved, telling me to behave and stop caressing the car! A nice cold prosecco was placed in my hand, and so the glamorous evening had begun. I looked around, and everyone was dressed in their finest suits and stylish dresses. The who’s who of Frankfurt was of course in attendance, along with a soccer world champion and the 2014 Olympic moderator. The people were all in very good spirits, with lots of happy chatter and laughter to be heard in the air. The restaurants served delicious food the entire night, and my favorite was the jumbo shrimp in a succulent sauce on a large spoon. I met some very interesting people this evening, and had great conversations. I also noticed the men flirting with the women, and the seductive smiles reflected by the warm lights of the Alte Oper. All in all, I have to say that it was a very fun and successful event organized by OCK GmbH.

A few days later we made our way to the Münchener Straße 9, to the PIP STUDIO by Ayfer Arslan. It was the pre-opening event to her lovely concept store. The first thing I noticed upon our arrival was the beautiful bright and pastel colors of the store and the food that matched the interior colors! The catering was done by InterContinental, and the bright colors even matched the drinks. Beautiful pink macarons matched the pink champagne, purple pastries matches the exotic purple cocktails – and everything was served with love and a perfect attention to detail. The store hosts a cool bar, an exclusive selection of wines and champagne, a glamorous collection of dresses and unique colorful dinnerware sets – that would look stunning in a garden party on a warm summer night. The guests were greeted not only with luxury sweets, but also with a very special surprise for the evening.

The surprise was the only and only, Jens Prewo – author of the bestseller book “111 GRÜNDE, FRANKFURT ZU LIEBEN” – and a very good friend of mine. In his book, Jens mentioned the 111 reasons to love Frankfurt, and he came up with an extraordinary list. The book covers everything from the glamorous and chic Frankfurt, to the traditional and cultural apple wine and green sauce scene, to the underground red light district, full of dark and curious mysteries. I highly recommend buying this book because Jens has a wonderful way of writing with intelligent irony and humor, which really leaves you with a smile after you finish reading the book. He definitely captures the magic of this city! After listening to the soothing voice of our Jens Prewo – reading the highlights out of his book – we ended the week with colorful macarons, a glance at Ayfer’s stunning dresses, and a sunset to remember… in our wonderful city that has 111 reasons to be loved.