A Dictionary of Dutchness

PTA

PTA does not stand for parent teachers association (known as the MR or medezeggenschapsraad in Dutch) but the distinctly unglamorous name given to Amsterdam’s cruise ship terminal – Passenger Terminal Amsterdam. Sandwiched between a concert hall complex and a hotel, the PTA itself is a striking glass building resembling a huge curling wave. The terminal’s quay is 600 metres long.