[orangeoxidation]

> I write a lot of C and still find it tricky when I have to go look at some random C codebase

Absolutely. C Code is not necessarily easy to understand. Not at all.

But the C parts itself are? In C you seldom wonder what C does, you wonder what the C code does.

If you work like OP likes, single person projects, small enough to keep almost completely in your head, I can see how C is especially charming. You never wrangle with C, only with your own code.