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Need help with Spanish word

peregrina2000

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For the Spanish speakers: I am translating into English a guide to the Camino Olvidado, which goes from Bilbao to Villafranca del Bierzo. At several points I have come across the term "pista de grijo". I know it is some kind of path/track, but what is grijo? No dictionary has helped me yet, so I'm hoping for help here.

Many thanks, Laurie
 
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If you go to google image search you'll see some pictures. Looks like a white road. Gravel or similar
 
I didn't know the word "grijo", but what i´ve found:

"pista de grijo" is a road made of material extracted from the bottom of rivers.

Those rounded small stones.

Saludos,
 
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Hi laura,

I believe the words stand for stone trail.

Not 100% sure.
 
I suspect Grijo to be a mispronunciation of Guijo, in which case Pista de Grijo would mean Gravel Road.
 
I am reliably informed by my prospective Spanish daughter in law that it translates to " a track or small road covered with pebbles"
 
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Hi Laurie!
It probably isn't relevant, but Grijó is a Portuguese parish, located in the municipality of Vila Nova de Gaia. It has a population of 5,120 inhabitants . It's about 10 kms south of Porto. There are other "grijo" parishes, too. Must be a Portuguese word.
 
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Thanks, Stephen, That was the first word I thought of too, since I remembered the resting spot outside the monastery just south of Porto. But the Spanish word doesn't have an accent, and I've found that "j" in Portuguese rarely translates into a "j" in Spanish, since they have such different sounds. J in Spanish, in case you are interested, frequently appears as an "x" ("sh") in Portuguese -- caja/caixa baja/baixa, etc.

Anyway, I am learning all kinds of words with this translation. The most fascinating to date has been "paso canadiense" -- bet you didn't know that's what they call one of those cattle grates that human beings walk over but livestock won't. Wonder where the Canadian part came from. Anyway, thanks everyone for your help, and I'll be back, I'm sure! Laurie
 
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Thanks for that tidbit Laurie. This past weekend I was in Guadarrama outside of Madrid and during a walk with a Spanish woman we crossed over one of those grids. She asked me if I knew what it was. Seeing that we also have them here in Holland for the cows, I confirmed that I did but she didn't tell me what it was called. Now off to find out why. Will report back if I find the answer.

update: I googled orígen, historia and etimología paso canadiense but nothing came up. Anyone else?
 
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Canuck said:
Invented in Canada by National Parks.
Click to expand...
Regarding the "paso canadiense," I don't question your explanation concerning the origin, but I do find it interesting that while in Banff National Park a couple of years ago -- which of course is located in Canada and is a National Park -- these devices were called "Texas gates." And to make this even more of a dilemma, I grew up in Texas, where they were called "cattle guards." Ah, the vagaries of language, especially the English one. How a non-native English speaker ever learns this language is beyond me

Jim
 
In Ireland they are called Australian gates or just cattle grids.
 

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Altus 24 Liters daypack (DENON 24 H30)
Technical backpack for day trips with backpack cover and internal compartment for the hydration bladder. Ideal daypack for excursions where we need a medium capacity backpack. The back with Air Flow System creates large air channels that will keep our back as cool as possible.

€83,-
Well, I guess the true origin will remain a mystery, but in any event, in Spanish it's paso canadiense!

I do have another question. The guide mentions "humilladero" a lot. I think it's a stone structure with four posts, with or without roof, with a crucifix inside. I have a vague memory when I walked through Avila this summer that that was the name given to the place with the best view over Avila and its walls.

If I'm right about that, does anyone have a word in English for it? Or if I'm wrong, what is it?

Thanks much, Laurie
 
Well, we seem to have gotten off-track here with the Canadian/Texas/Australian gate discussion, and I plead guilty to contributing to this digression. But can we generally agree that, in answer to the original question, that "pista de grijo" may be interpreted as meaning "gravel road"? That would seem logical to me, given how much of the Camino is actually a gravel road or gravel-surfaced pathway.
 
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peregrina2000 said:
Yes, Jim, I have already incorporated "gravel road" or path into my translation. But I do think these anecdotes are quite interesting.

Any guesses on "humilladero"?
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Sorry, I guess we'll have to wait and see what the consensus of the real Spanish speakers might be.
 

Good morning Laurie.
I've googled humilladero and found this blog (in Spanish) with lots of information about them:
http://diccionarioalcarria.blogspot.se/2008/02/humilladero.html
 
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Interesting article, thanks Susanna!

If I understand correctly those pictures of crosses on a pedestal often seen at the entry of a villiage which we posted in another thread are humilladeros?
 
I'm Spaniard and i din't know this word either.
Looking at the site posted by Susanna, it seems that there are two me
anings for humilladero: one is a cross or image for religious purposes and the other is a column for punishing "bad people" by exposing them for a period of time. The second meaning is commonly known in Spanish as "picota".
The phrase "poner a alguien en la picota" would be today to put someone (for instance a corrupt) on the media.
So, I would bet for "cross or image for religious purposes".
 


Thanks to everyone, and based on your comment Pelegrin, I see that this is not a common word. I will probably leave it in the text of the guide in Spanish, with an explanation, since there doesn't seem to be just one word in English to describe its several meanings. Very interesting. Laurie
 
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LTfit said:
Interesting article, thanks Susanna!

If I understand correctly those pictures of crosses on a pedestal often seen at the entry of a villiage which we posted in another thread are humilladeros?
Click to expand...

This is the thread: http://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/crosses-along-the-camino.22753/

Yes, I think that's right LT.

I just looked back through those pictures and I would say that based on my understanding, the typical "humilladero" is Beatrice's picture "before San Justo de la Vega" (#5 on the thread) and Wayfarer's first picture on post #13 on the thread.

Buen camino, Laurie
 
Well, I am by no means an expert, but based on the link Susanna posted here, I think it doesn't include those crucifixes with Christ on the cross or other carved figures, like Mary. But I don't really know.

I did notice that Susanna's article includes a picture of that spot in Avila where you cross the river and have a fabulous look back over the walls. It's the fourth picture in the website and if you look closely you can actually see the walls of Avila over to the right (you'll see this in person if you walk the Levante this summer, LT!)

So the meaning I'm coming up with is that it is an unadorned cross, with or without some other stone structure around it. Or some kind of pillory (?).
 
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Yes, I realize this is an old thread, but rather than start a new one, I'm asking for help from a fluent Spanish speaker. I practice Spanish with Rosetta Stone. It's been great except sometimes when I have questions there is nobody to ask and here is an example.

I do not understand WHY in these 4 examples, the adjective is different.
Why is the first dessert un postre FRANCÉS and the second comida FRANCESCA?
Why is the montaña JAPONESA and the restaurante JAPONÉS ???

Help?
 

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Because the noun respectively is male therefore adjective male also.
Noun female so adjective female also.
It is el postre = male and la comida = female .
la montaña and el restaurante.
 
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El postre
La comida
la montaña
el restaurante
 
Camino Way markers in Bronze
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
SabineP said:
Because the noun repectively is male therefore adjective male also.
Noun female so adjective female also.
It is el postre = male and la comida = female .
la montaña and el restaurante.
Click to expand...
:::slapping my forehead:::: Doh!
Thanks! I think I need another cup of coffee
 
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