Going back to a city you haven't seen in so long must be a bit like reading a book you've mostly forgotten. Just the vaguest echoes coming back when you come across something you've seen before.
Maybe it's not the best metaphor. Cities go on changing when you leave them. Books, not so much. So with the city there's this whole other level to unpack. How much of the change was me, and how much was the landscape?
I love that comparison and yes, it's definitely an intriguing little maze of echoes. Cities change, sure, but so do you (as you well point out), and in the end I think the changes sort of match each other? Dunno if that makes sense :D I'll have to think on it.