Hi all,
I just got to Madrid a few days ago and will be here for about four months as part of a graduate school exchange program. I had three different questions I was hoping someone may be able to help out on:

1. I live in Salamanca (Around the intersection of Calle de Lagasca and Acala), are there any gyms in the neighborhood that anyone recommends for working out in? I´d prefer something with showers, exercise machines, and some weights. I don´t need fancy but would like clean. Any ideas?

2. I got a sim card from Movistar and am able to call the United States with no problems. However, any text messages I send to my friends either in the U.S. or in New Delhi, show up as not being delivered to them. I have tried using the usual ´00 country code number´, tried ´+country code number´ but to no avail. Anybody have any ideas about this?

3.Finally, I´d love to have internet access from my apartment, but my landlord has told me that my phone line is only an internal one and cannot be used to dial out. My first day in the apartment, sales people from Iberdrola came to speak to me about their internet connection that doesn´t use a phone line. Does anybody have any experience with Iberdrola and is it possible to actually get an internet connection without a working phone line?

Sorry for all the questions. My Spanish is not very good and I´ve been struggling through my past few days here (it can be pretty lonely not knowing the language and travelling on your own). Any help is very much appreciated.

I lived in Spain a few years ago, but I don't think this information has changed too much in re: internet in the home. Telefonica has a monopoly in getting phone lines in the home therefore it is more expensive to get a phone line in your home than a cell phone because of all the red tape.

As for the internet, because of the red tape, it is really not worth getting a phone line at home, even if it is to use the internet, unless you are planning on moving to Salamanca and living in that apartment permanentely.

Alternatively, there are tons of internet cafes around that you can use and you will find that the Spanish culture is very social in these internet cafes. It's a great place to meet people and to practice your Spanish.

As for text messaging from your phone, it might be that the person can't receive your text message from Spain to the US or that your phone does not have the feature to text message to the US. It could also be that your Spanish cell phone plan does not allow you to text message to the US.

From my understanding, the SIMs card is only a chip that activates your cell phone with your phone number. Sometimes phone companies will give you free minutes with your new cell phone but otherwise the chip is just your number and stuff you've stored in your phone. If you ever want to change your phone number or phone and what you've stored on your phone, you change the chip to the new phone or just get rid of the chip, your number and all the information you've stored on the chip.

Here in the US, my boyfriend has a Virgin mobile and receives text messages from his parents in Spain very often.

As for the gym, I can't help you out since I do not know Salamanca...Please let us know how you progress! Good luck in making new friends!

I posted you something about a gym in Salamanca the city, didn't realize you meant Salamanca district of Madrid... so never mind

Try the Gym at the ABC Serrano mall. It's in Serrano 49, if I'm not mistaken. Next to the Morgan Stanley building.