Don't let people scare you. Modern C++ is just as easy to get started in as other languages. It's only when you really dive deep into the language and use more advanced features that things might feel a bit more complicated. All the other languages are the same way though.

I'd recommend getting Microsoft Visual Studio Community(https://www.visualstudio.com/vs/community/) which is a free IDE. Then look for some basic tutorials covering C++.

I haven't seen the code for Bitcoin but it's possible it might be rather difficult to understand if they've used more advanced language features.